might
have been heard by the insects among the heather close by, if they were
listening, for Donald whispered to his companion,--"He's coin' to try
pait!"

"Didn't I bid ye hau'd your tongue?"

"Ay."

"Do't then."

MacRummle dropped a worm gently into the head of the pool, and let it go
with the current. Instantly the line straightened, the rod bent, the
reel spun, and from the other side of the pool there leaped a lovely bar
of silver, which fell back to its native element with a considerable
splash.

"A two-pounder!" gasped Donald, unable to restrain his excitable spirit,
as he half rose.

Junkie had him by the throat in a moment, and crammed his ragged head
down among the heather.

"Tonal'!" he whispered remonstratively.

"I forgot," whispered Donald, when the strong little hands relaxed.
"I'll not do't again."

"Ye better no'," returned Junkie, with a shake of his fist that required
no explanation.

By this time the fish had darted like a lightning flash twice up stream,
once down, three times across, and twice into the air. At the same time
the fisher had hurried up and down the bank, had tripped over two stumps
and a root, had dropped his wideawake, and had very nearly gone head
foremost into the pool; for his tackle was fine and his fish large. The
fisher-boy gasped.

"Tonal'," said Junkie, in very low tones, "if ye don't behave better,
I'll send ye away."

"It iss not easy, but I'll try," said he.

Donald could say no more. The best of men or boys could do no more than
try. We may as well say here at once, however, that his efforts at
self-control were crowned with success. He proved himself to be a great
man in embryo by ruling his own spirit that day.

In a few minutes the trout was landed by means of a miniature gaff,
which the fisher carried in his basket, for the purpose of securing fish
that were too heavy to be pulled out by the line. It was afterwards
found to be a two-and-a-half pounder, which, being an unusually good
fish for that stream, was the occasion of much rejoicing on the part of
the old gentleman, as he stood wiping his forehead and commenting on it.

"Capital! Not had such a fellow as that for more than a week. There's
more where that came from; but you must give the pool a rest, Dick. Try
the run higher up."

In obedience to his own orders, MacRummle went up to a part of the
stream where a high cliff on one side and a steepish bank on the other
caused it to