but cut off two or three short pieces of the line
about a foot in length. To each of these he attached one of the
sharp-pointed little hooks and fastened them at intervals a couple of
feet apart on the line. One hook he tied at the end of the line itself.

"Oh, I see!" said Rob. "You mean to throw that outfit as though it were
a fly."

John nodded. "If you can cast as light a thing as a little trout fly
with this rod," he said, "you ought to be able to cast these
hooks--larger, not much heavier, and just about right to go straight.
Anyhow, let's go down and try."

"Good idea!" agreed Rob. And they all departed, the Aleut boy with them,
to the lower reaches of the stream, where, as has been said, the salmon
now more frequently resorted.

As they stood on the bank above the big pool they looked down into it,
and saw that the sea-tide run of the salmon had brought in the average
number of fish. The whole interior of the pool, which otherwise would
have had a dark-green appearance, seemed to be made up of melted silver
layers, all in motion. There were hundreds of fish moving about, up and
down, and round and round, hesitating about following up the thread of
the fresh water, and not wanting to go back to the salt water, which lay
behind them.

"My gracious, there's about a million in there!" exclaimed John, peering
over the edge.

"Yes, but Skookie couldn't get any with the snag-pole now," said Rob.
"They're getting wise and stay too far out. I shouldn't wonder if your
idea was a good one, if only that rod were stronger."

Rob rubbed his chin meditatively. "You are welcome to try first. I don't
want to break that rod, and I know what will happen if you hook on to a
big fish with it."

John set his lips in determination, none the less, and stepped down to
the edge of the pool. Slowly the interior mass of silver seemed to grow
fainter. The fish saw him, and moved gently away to the opposite side of
the pool. Presently, however, they could see the shining mass edge back
again to the centre of the pool, where the deeper water was over the
gravel.

John began to cast the hooks back and forward above his head, as every
fisherman does in casting a fly. Little by little he lengthened the
line, still keeping it in the air, until he saw he had out enough to
reach well across the pool. Then, gently as he could, he dropped the
line and its gang of hooks on the surface of the water. The hooks, being
small, were not heavy e