Paddling under Palmettos — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Paddling Under Palmettos. 61 with several things, and at last put on a perch caught with a landing net under the boats, when he had cast some crumbs overboard. The result was a strike. Archie thrilled at the first grand rush of a big bass, but after that he came in likea log. He weighed eight pounds and seemed to be nearly all mouth. Indeed, Archie, when he saw that cavern open as he drew him in, trembled lest the fish should swallow the boat. He found there was a difference between bass na- tive to the cold lakes of the North and these warm streams of the Sunny South. , It was easy to poke his finger into the side of this fish. Archie fished no more. He was used to having h’- bass show game to the last, and a fish of that size c ight to be ashamed to allow himself to be dragged to gaff in less than half an hour. He had gently wrestled with the bass four minutes. As fishing was played out, he thought he would paddle up the little stream a short way and see what lay beyond. The boats of his companions seemed safe where they were. Before he had passed the two bends just above, he had discovered a long, yellow water-moccasin, had <S (E(0) Gomichboo