“Oh! take care,” he exclaimed, looking quite pale, while the palms of his hands grew moist and hot with excitement.
“I’m all right,” said Harry, creeping slowly out upon the branch; and then, seating himself astride, he began to work himself out over the water, while the bough quivered and bent at every movement. “Can you see it, Phil?” said the adventurer. “Just under the bough, now, and coming nearer. It’s gone!” he exclaimed, in dismay, as the float sank down out of sight. “But keep on, Harry; perhaps it will come up again.”
Harry kept on till he was about twenty feet away from the trunk of the tree, and about three feet from the surface of the water, and then sat watching where Philip threw a stone at the place where the float disappeared. He could see some distance down into the black-looking water, which report said was here ten feet deep; there were weeds and dead branches sticking up here and there, but no float, and no fish.
“It’s of no use; do come back,” said Fred, “or I know you will fall.”
“Whoof!” said Harry, giving himself a kind of jump, so that the bough swung up and down, and his feet dipped the water, while his head nearly rose to the branch above him. “Here’s such a jolly ride; come and have a turn, boys.”
“Pray don’t,” said Fred, “I know you’ll fall.” And then—but not in obedience to Fred’s request—Harry became motionless; for just beneath his feet he saw, rising from the depth of the pond, the white top of his float. Fred gave a half shriek at what he saw, for to him it seemed a feat of unsurpassed daring, as Harry clasped the bough with his legs, and swinging himself head downwards, he plunged his hands into the water and grasped his truant line.
There was a moment’s struggle, for the fish was still at the end, but it was beaten: and the effort of keeping the cork-float down so long, and its previous struggles, made it an easy prey. Tightly twisting the line round his finger, Harry swung himself up again, and began carefully to make the retrograde journey after the manner of a sloth, with his back downwards, and arms and legs clasping the bough. The small twigs and branches made this no easy task, but, to the great delight and admiration of Fred, he soon reached the tree, where he passed the line to Philip, who was elevated in his turn by Fred, till he could reach Harry’s extended hand.
“Now you won’t pull him out till I come down,” said Harry.
“Oh, no,” said Philip.
“Honour bright,” said Harry.