Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-09-12
and fall into the sea


nook for salmon. at that season pre-
pairing for their annual visit to the
sylvan streams of the moorland val
leys.
The lordly salmon IL peculiar in his
habits Dclighting at one period Of the
year to roam through the ocean wilds,
ar another he seeks shallow rivers, In
whose murmuring fords he scarce finds
room to turn his portly frame.
And the law protects him most zeal.
ously.
In the river he Is guarded like king,
and when he clusters at its mouth.
lazily making up his mind to try
change Of water. as a monarch might
visit IIomburg for change Of air, he
can only he caught under certain Sc
we're restrictions.
lie must not he netted within so
many yards OF the seaward limit Of
the estuary He may not he caught
wholesale. The nets must have max
imnm length Of 40O feet They must
not be set between p. m. on a Friday
and n. m on Monday.
Viewed in every aspect, the salmon
Is given exceptional chances Of longev-
ity. His price Is high as his culinary
reputation, and the obvious sequel to
all these precautions is that certain
nefarious persons known as poachers
try every artifce to defeat the law
and capture him.
A favorite dodge is to run out a large
quantity Of nets in just such tide
way ~ the foot of the cliff crowned by
Grange House. None can spy the OPP
eratonS from the land while a close
watch seaward gives many chances
of escape from enterprising wafer ball
lus, who, moreover, can sometimes be
made conveniently drunk.
When Philip hurtlcd into the placid
sen, his naked body Shone white. like
the plnmagc of some gigantic bird
Indeed, n man who was leiSurely
pulling Il coble in zigzag course
while two others paid ont net so that
its sweeping curves might embarrass
any wandering salmon who found him
self within its meshes-marked the fat
ing body in its instantaneous passage
and thought at first that some huge sea
fowl had dived after its prey.
But the loud splash startled the three
men. Not so did cormorant or n
white winged solon plunge to secure
an unwary haddocx.
The net attendants Strengthened their
backs; the oarsman stood up. The dis
turbance was SO near, so unexpected,
that it alarmed them They looked
aloft. thinking that rock had fallen.
They looked to the small eddy caused
by Philips disappearance to see if any
sign would be given explanatory of an
unusual occurrence.
We're Philip thrown from such a
senses in all likelihood such breath as
was in his lungs at the moment of his
fall would have been expelled by the
time he reached the water
He must have resisted the rush of
air, uttered Involuntary cries, strug-
gled wildly with his limbs.
But as it CHANGED Mason'S rough
handling in carrying him to the bal
cony made active the vital forces that
were restoring him to consciousness.
He was on the very threshold of re.
ncwed life when he fell, and the
downward flight helped rather than re-
tarded the process. Indeed, the rush OF
air was grateful. He drank In the Wig
Orous draft and inflated his lungs read
lily. His sensations were those Of 4
man immersed in a warm bath, and
the shock Of his concussion with the
surface of the sea in nowise retarded
the recuperative effect of the dive.
OF course he was fortunate after fall
ing from such height in strik ing the
water with his right shoulder, No por
ton of the human body is SO fitted to
bear heavy blow as the shoulders
and upper part Of the back. Had he
dropped vertically on his head or his
feet he might have sustained serious
injury. AS it was. after tremendous
dive and curve OF many yards be-
meath the sea he bobbed up inside the
salmon net within Il few feet Of the
boat.
Instantly the fishermen saw that 1t
was Il man, an absolutely naked man,
who had thus dropped from the sky.
They were amazed, very frightened
indeed, but they readily hauled at the
dragging net and brought Philip near
er the boat. Even at this final stage OF
his adventure he incurred terrible
risk.
Unable to help himself in the least
degree and swallowing salt water rap
Idly now, he rolled away inertly as the
net rose under the energetic efforts Of
his rescuers. There was grave danger
that he should drop back into the
depths, and then he must sink like
stone.
Wearing their heavy sea boots, none
of the fishermen, though each was an
expert swimmer, dared to jump into
the water. But the onrsman. being "A
person of resource and reasoning rap
idly that not the most enthusiastic
salmon bniiff in England would pur-
sue him in such manner. grabbed a
boathook and caught Philip with it be
meath the arm.
lie only used the slight force needful
to support him until another could
grasp him.
Then they lifted the half drowned
man on board. turned him on his face
TO permit the water to flow ont of his
lungs and. instantly reversing him. be-
gan to raise his elbows and press them
against his sides alternately.
Soon he breathed again, but he re-
manned unconscious. and n restored cir
culatiOn caused blood to flow freely