And after a while he came to a place where the river spread out into broad still shallow reaches , so wide that little Tom , as he put his head out of the water , could hardly see across . And there he stopped . He got a little frightened . `` This must be the sea , '' he thought . `` What a wide place it is ! If I go on into it I shall surely lose my way , or some strange thing will bite me . I will stop here and look out for the otter , or the eels , or some one to tell me where I shall go . '' So he went back a little way , and crept into a crack of the rock , just where the river opened out into the wide shallows , and watched for some one to tell him his way : but the otter and the eels were gone on miles and miles down the stream . There he waited , and slept too , for he was quite tired with his night 's journey ; and , when he woke , the stream was clearing to a beautiful amber hue , though it was still very high . And after a while he saw a sight which made him jump up ; for he knew in a moment it was one of the things which he had come to look for . Such a fish ! ten times as big as the biggest trout , and a hundred times as big as Tom , sculling up the stream past him , as easily as Tom had sculled down . Such a fish ! shining silver from head to tail , and here and there a crimson dot ; with a grand hooked nose and grand curling lip , and a grand bright eye , looking round him as proudly as a king , and surveying the water right and left as if all belonged to him . Surely he must be the salmon , the king of all the fish . Tom was so frightened that he longed to creep into a hole ; but he need not have been ; for salmon are all true gentlemen , and , like true gentlemen , they look noble and proud enough , and yet , like true gentlemen , they never harm or quarrel with any one , but go about their own business , and leave rude fellows to themselves . The salmon looked at him full in the face , and then went on without minding him , with a swish or two of his tail which made the stream boil again . And in a few minutes came another , and then four or five , and so on ; and all passed Tom , rushing and plunging up the cataract with strong strokes of their silver tails , now and then leaping clean out of water and up over a rock , shining gloriously for a moment in the bright sun ; while Tom was so delighted that he could have watched them all day long . And at last one came up bigger than all the rest ; but he came slowly , and stopped , and looked back , and seemed very anxious and busy . And Tom saw that he was helping another salmon , an especially handsome one , who had not a single spot upon it , but was clothed in pure silver from nose to tail .
`` My dear , '' said the great fish XXXXX his companion , `` you really look dreadfully tired , and you must not over-exert yourself at first .
If at in of on than though to upon while