John saw the preparations which were going on and entered into the spirit of it in his usual listless way, but it must be said that there was now more eagerness in his actions than had been theretofore noticed.
All saw the change that was perceptibly coming over him, and the particular thing that George noticed was the character of the eye. "I wish you would explain, Professor, why it is that the eyes of people so affected are dull, and that when they recover the eye becomes bright?"
"That change in the character of the eye is expressed by everyone under certain conditions. How much brighter the eye is when you are affected by laughter. That is due to the duct which lubricates the eyeball. Anything pleasant causes an undue amount of discharge, so that the eyeball glistens, and we call it looking bright. The same principle holds good in the case of one who is dull or listless, or, as in our friend's case, has nothing to stimulate the flow of the secretions. The moment he is affected, this is shown on the eyeball sooner than by any other part of his body."
It will be remembered that in a former volume it was stated how Harry had prepared a number of very creditable fishhooks, and these were now attached to the ramie fiber cord and suitable poles were easily obtained for the day's outing.
Aside from John, it was a merry party that left the Cataract that morning, and Angel was among them. Several good fishing spots were known, but the Professor suggested that a change be made and that the trial for the day should be in the river below the Cataract, in the hope that larger and gamer fish might be found. In all former trials only the tame fish were caught.
Less than a quarter of a mile below the Cataract, and close to the mouth of the river, was a small cove, with deep water, bounded by a sandy shore. Here the party stopped and cast their lines. The Professor, however, used a fly and fished with it at the surface of the water. As on the previous occasion, he was the first to land a magnificent specimen, which was so large that he had difficulty in landing it.
"What is that beauty?"
"It is a salmon; or it might be more correct to call it a salmon-trout. Trout belong to the salmon family, and they are all game."
"Well, he certainly made a fight for it."
"Does the salmon live in salt as well as in fresh water?"