d once more, while Tavish took hold of
his arm and led him toward another stone, upon which whosoever stood had
the full command of a broad deep pool, into which the waters of the
river surged and were slowly eddied round and round.

"Now then," said Tavish, making a careful examination of the fly, "ye'll
do as I tell ye, and before long we'll hae a bonnie fush."

CHAPTER TEN.

MAX'S FIRST "FUSH."

If Max Blande could have done as he liked, he would have said, "No,
thank you, I would rather see you fish," but, with a strong feeling upon
him that if he refused to make another trial he would either be laughed
at or looked upon as a contemptible coward, he took the long rod, with
the line sufficiently drawn from the reel to allow the gaudy fly to hang
down by his hand.

"Ye'll tak' haud o' the flee, or maybe ye'll hae the hook in your han',"
cried Tavish. "That's richt. Noo ye'll throw the flee richt oot
yonner, and keep drawing a little more line frae the reel at ivery cast.
I'll tell ye whaur to throw. Noo then, tak' your stan' richt oot on
that big stane whaur the watter comes doon."

"But it looks so wet and slippery."

"The watter always mak's the stanes wet."

"But it's dangerous."

Tavish looked at him with astonishment. He could not conceive the
possibility of any one seeing danger in going with a spring from rock to
rock among which the beautiful river rushed, and his blue eyes opened
widely.

"I mean," faltered Max, "that it would be so easy to slip in."

"Oh, I ken the noo," cried Tavish. "Dinna be skeart, laddie. Ye think
she'll catch a cold. Hey, but ye needna be feart o' that. The watter
comes doon fresh frae the loch, and she wouldna gie cold to a bairn, let
alane a bonnie young laird like you."

Max glanced at Kenneth, who was busily tying on a fly and talking to
Scoodrach. So, drawing a long breath, he stepped from the bank on to
the first stone, after a stride of about a yard, and then stood still,
for the water rushing swiftly round him made him feel dizzy.

"Noo the next," said Tavish encouragingly; and, comforting himself with
the idea that if he was to fall into the rushing water it seemed
shallower farther out than close in-shore, where it looked very black
and deep, he stepped out to the next stone, and then to the next,
wondering the while that nothing had happened to him. Then on and on
from stone to stone, feeling giddy, excited, and in a nervous state
which impelle