The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1909-01-21

draw back his right arm so as to
make a stroke. He could not. The
fshline which he had wound round
his wrist was drawn taut. He was
moving, moving faster than the cur
rent, toward the main river. The lad
kicked and struggled, but the current
and pull of the line were too strong
for his efforts. Before many seconds
he knew that he was in the main cur
rent of the swift river, being towed
and swept along slightly faster than
the current. The rate of movement
kept him on top of the water, but-the
waves and 1spashes were constantly
striking him in the face, making
breathing difficult.
As he was swept over the first bad
rifle of the long series from the dam
to the bend, he tried to reach his
wrist with his left hand. The red
box was still in his hand.
The effort failed, for the arm was
drawn too tight by whatever was
pulling the wriggling ninety pounds
Of boy. AS the lad gained his pres
ence Of mind he screamed, and kicked
himself toward the shore. He made
some Roadway, the fish at the other
end OF the line continuing to draw
him faster than the current.
The river is spotted here and there
by rocky reefs, which show their
heads above the surface. On one of
these, 4 short distance ahead, there
grew 2 clump, OF river willows which
~oYernung the edge of the main cur
rent. Seeing them, Johnnie struggled
with his whole might toward the
shore. He did not succeed in getting
close, but yet near enough SO that, as
he foated along, he, could reach out
with his left hand to the two or three
longest branches and could touch
them.
In his hand was the red box. He
seemed to realize it for the first time.
instinctively cIutching it tighter, and
at the same time missing his chance
to grasp the willows.
The big salmon, for such proved to
be the fish that had caught the boy
with his own line, seemed to have felt
the effort the boy had made to reach
the willows, and as the fish does when
brought almost within reach of the
gan, made a more vigorous effort to
gain its freedom, and pulled all the
harder and faster down the current.
Before many seconds the lad, half
drowned, struck a rock with his foot.
He attempted to get a foothold, but
before he could put his weight on his
feet ne was carried once again into
deep water by the current and the
fish. All the time he was getting
weaker. A cramp had seized his
right arm, partly owing to the strain,
and partly to the cold snow water. No
help was in sight as far as he could
see. His head was half-coVeTed with
water most Of the time, and in the
ripples of the stream it was rare that
he caught a glance of the surface of
the river more than thirty feet away
from him. And the time he could
stay on the surface was now only a
question of minutes.
Above the last long rifle before
the whirlpool eddy the river stopped
and seemed to hesitate to take the
last swift leap. The water here was
deep, but just where the rapid began
the bed rose close to the top OF the
water. Probably because of this the
, salmon stopped. The hey felt the
line slackcn and his own body begin
to drift:
A short distance away was another
Of the rocky reefs, on which grew 6
huge clump of river willows. He
slowly swan toward 1t. In his weak
ened condition, the feat was all tina
he could do. But at last he reached
the reef, still holding the red box il
his left hand. AS he drew mis- arm!
up, he felt that ne had reached thu
end Of the slack in the line between
him and the fish. However, ne had
good hold on the bushes, and wa.
slowly drawing his body from thu
water.
The fish was once again reused; ant
for a few brief seconds it seemed II
the boy as if he could Lot hold to tn,
bush. Then the fish apparently qui
fighting.
The boy crawled on to the marrow
ledge and laid the red box to one side
and then with his free hand tried t.
disengage his arm round which tn,
line had tangled itself.
He had barely touched the frs
knot when a sharp jerk interrupter
his efforts. The fish gave anothe
strong pull.
He braced himself as best he coul,
on the ledge, and slowly, hand owe
hand, inch by inch, dragged up t.
the ledge the creature which hat
towed him for a quarter of a mil