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Show LEVIATHAN water, a gTeat splash on the surface,-Leviathan has risen; Willibert has struck him; the royal coachman is fast in his upper lip. At the same instant the fisherman at the lower end of the pool feels a tightening of his line. He gives it a quick twitch with his right hand, and prepares to pull in with his left. Leviathan has taken the bait; Cotton Mather has struck; the hook is well fastened in the roof of the fish's mouth and the sport begins. Willibert leaps to his feet and moves towards the end of the point. Cotton Mather, feeling the heavy strain on his line, wades out towards the deeper part of the pool. The two fishermen behold each other, in the ;_10ment of their common triumph, and they perceive what lies between them. "Excuse me," said Hopkins, "but that is my fish. He must have taken my bait before he rose to the fly, and I'll be much obliged to you if you'll let go of him." "I beg your pardon," replied Jones, "but it's quite evident that he rose to my fly before you felt him bite at your bait; and as I struck him first and 304 LEVIATHAN hooked him first, he is my fish and I'll thank you to leave him alone." It was a pretty situation. Each fisherman realized that he was called upon to do his best and yet unable to get ahead of the other without danger to his own succeas,-no time for argument surely! Yet I think they would have argued, and that with fierceness, had it not been for a sudden interruption. "Good morning, gentlemen!" said the voice of Orlando Cutter, as he stepped from the bushes at the mouth of the brook, with a landing-net in his hand, "I see you are out early to-day. I came doWll myself to have a try for the big fish, and Mis• Gray was good enough to come with me."' The rosy, laughing face of the girl emerged from the willows. "Good morning, good morning," she cried. "Why it's quite a party, isn't it? But how wet you both are, Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Jones,did you fall in the water? And you look vexed, too! What is the matter? Oh, I see, both your lines are caught fast in the bottom of the pool, -no, they are tangled together"-(at this the fish gave a mighty 305 |