y
about in its vain efforts to escape.

As the three men waded nearer to him they got into shallower water, and
then perceived that the boy had not lost his self-possession, but was
still tightly grasping the butt of his rod. Just as they came up the
salmon, in its blind terror, ran straight against the boy's legs. Olly
fell upon it, let go the rod, and embraced it! Happily, his friends
reached him at the moment, else the water that rushed over his head
would have compelled him to let go--or die!

Paul lifted him up. The great fish struggled in its captor's arms. It
was slippery as an eel, and its strength tremendous. No digging of his
ten nails into it was of any use. Slowly but surely it was wriggling
out of his tight embrace when Hendrick inserted his great thumbs into
its gills, and grasped it round the throat.

"Let go, Oliver," he said, "I've got him safe."

But Olly would not let go. Indeed, in the state of his mind and body at
the moment it is probable that he could _not_ let go.

His father, having made some ineffectual attempts to clear the line,
with which, and the rod, they had got completely entangled, was obliged
to "stand by" and see that the entanglement became no worse. Thus,
holding on each to the other and all together, they staggered slowly and
safely to land with their beautiful prize.

"Are there many fish like that in these rivers?" asked Paul, as they all
stood contemplating the salmon, and recovering breath.

"Ay, thousands of them in all the rivers, and the rivers are numerous--
some of them large," replied Hendrick.

"This will be a great country some day, you take my word for it," said
the captain, in a dogmatic manner, which was peculiar to him when he
attempted amateur prophecy.

That prophecy, however, like many other prophecies, has been only partly
fulfilled. It has come true, indeed, that Newfoundland now possesses
the most valuable cod-fishery in the world, and that her exports of
salmon are considerable, but as to her being a great country--well, that
still remains unfulfilled prophecy; for, owing to no fault of her
people, but to the evils of monopoly and selfishness, as we have already
said, her career has been severely checked.

Not many days after the catching of the salmon--which remained a
memorable point in the career of Oliver Trench--the explorers were led
by Hendrick to the shores of a magnificent lake. It was so large that
the captain at first doubted