to speak, in a rough and ready
manner. Next, he stepped into a hole, which turned out to be three feet
deep, so that he was instantly soaked up to the waist. Being extremely
hot, besides having grown quite reckless, Mr Sudberry did not mind
this; it was pleasantly cooling. He was cheered, too, at the moment, by
the re-appearance of the sun, which shone out as bright as ever, warming
his heart, (poor, ignorant man!) and, all unknown to him, damaging his
chance of catching any more fish at that time.

Soon after this he came to a part of the river where it flowed through
extremely rugged rocks, and plunged over one or two precipices, sending
up clouds of grey mist and a dull roar which overawed him, and depressed
his spirits. This latter effect was still further increased by the
bruising of his shins and elbows, which resulted from the rough nature
of the ground. He became quite expert now in hanking on bushes and
disentangling the line, and experienced a growing belief in the truth of
the old saying that "practice makes perfect." He cast better, he hanked
oftener, and he disentangled more easily than he had done at an earlier
period of the day. The midges, too, increased as evening advanced.

Presently he came upon a picturesque portion of the stream where the
waters warbled and curled in little easy-going rapids, miniature falls,
and deep oily pools. Being an angler by nature, though not by practice,
(as yet), he felt that there must be _something_ there. A row of
natural stepping-stones ran out towards a splendid pool, in which he
felt assured there must be a large trout--perhaps a grilse. His modesty
forbade him to hint "a salmon," even to himself.

It is a very difficult thing, as everyone knows, to step from one stone
to another in a river, especially when the water flowing between runs
swift and deep. Mr Sudberry found it so. In his effort to approach
the pool in question, which lay under the opposite bank, he exhibited
not a few of the postures of the rope-dancer and the acrobat; but he
succeeded, for Mr Sudberry was a man of indomitable pluck.

Standing on a small stone, carefully balanced, and with his feet close
together, he made a beautiful cast. It was gracefully done; it was
vigorously, manfully done--considering the difficulty of the position,
and the voracity of the midges--and would have been undoubtedly
successful but for the branch of a tree which grew on the opposite bank
and overhung t