The two boats all this time had been drifting down the river, and on opening a new reach of the stream, a somewhat extraordinary scene of fishing presented itself. It was not like Murphy's fishing, the result of a fertile invention, but the consequence of the evil destiny which presided over all the proceedings of Handy Andy. The fishing-party in the boats beheld another fishing-party on shore, with this difference in the nature of what they sought to catch, that while they in the boats were looking for salmon, those on shore were seeking for a post-chaise; and as about a third part of a vehicle so called was apparent above the water, Furlong exclaimed with extreme surprise-- "Well, if it ain't a post-chaise!" "Oh! that's nothing extraordinary," said Dick; "common enough here." "How do you mean?" "We've a custom here of running steeple-chases in post-chaises." "Oh, thank you," said Furlong. "Come, that's _too_ good." "You don't believe it, I see," said Dick. "But you did not believe the salmon-fishing till you saw it." "Oh, come now! How the deuce could you leap a ditch in a post-chaise?" "I never said we leaped ditches; I only said we rode steeple-chases. The system is this:--You go for a given point, taking high road, by-road, plain, or lane, as the case may be, making the best of your way how you can. Now our horses in this country are celebrated for being good swimmers, so it's a favourite plan to shirk a bridge sometimes by swimming a river." "But no post-chaise will float," said Furlong, regularly arguing against Dick's mendacious absurdity. "Oh! we are prepared for that here. The chaises are made light, have cork bottoms, and all the solid work is made hollow; the doors are made water tight, and, if the stream runs strong, the passenger jumps out and swims." "But that's not fair," said Furlong; "it alters the weight." "Oh! it's allowed on both sides," said Dick, "so it's all the same. It's as good for the goose as the gander." "I wather imagine it is much fitter for geese and ganders than human beings. I know I should wather be a goose on the occasion."