“After completing the Bean I decided to take a little time off and head back upriver to see what changes had been wrought in the towns since my time as a journeyman. It had been nearly 5 years since I last left the city and I felt like a change of pace would do me good. I said my goodbyes to the other masters and told them I intended to look for an apprentice back in the districts I was originally from and then return again in a couple of years once they had settled. I also took some time to mention to Master Burley that I would be gone for a while and suggested a couple of promising journeymen that might be able to aid him on simpler jobs. He thanked me for the thought and wished me well in my apprentice hunt.”
“It was mid spring when I left and the river was slowly starting to settle from the madness of the spring thaw. I hadn’t at that point a sail for the Bean and wouldn’t have known how to use one anyway so I was left hugging the bank and poling my way North very slowly. Over time I became used to the exercise and started to put on a little bit more muscle, ending the days only tired rather than feeling like I was about to expire. There were still some times where the river was too rough for me and then I became a beast of burden, shouldering Bean’s tow rope as she glided through the shallows. This seemed to be a great source of amusement for the passing sailors as they floated downstream as they called out encouragement or made wild mooing noises while prancing about like cows”.
Silas stopped for a moment and laughed, “I never did understand how bored those sailors must have been back then.”
“It was getting close to the start of Summer when I arrived back in the same area where I had almost drowned myself all those years ago and so I decided, in honour of the occasion, to stop there the night and head into the town the next morning as it was only an hour or so away.”
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“I built myself a congratulatory fire on the shore, the old campsite long since removed in the various floods, and prepared and cooked the trout I had been lucky enough to catch earlier that morning. Well the catching was more by accident than design as I had inadvertently stunned it with my pole when poking under the bank and then somehow managed to grab it as it floated past, tossing it into the Bean.”
“While I was finishing enjoying my meal, thinking to set some aside for later, there came a flurry of splashes from up ahead, and now older and wiser I took my time to look before I lept - I still could not swim, but thought it was probably just some deer trying to cross the river. As it came closer I saw that it wasn’t a deer but a small boy of not more than 10 years of age, gripping a waterlogged branch and desperately trying to get to the shore.”
“Quickly standing, I rushed to the Bean, and after grabbing the 4 m long punt pole, chased along the riverbank trying to find a place where the water was shallow enough for me to wade out to rescue him.”
“Eventually I was able to tangle the branch he was clinging to, his little arms were probably too far gone to be of any help, and I heaved on the pole dragging the tangle close enough to the shore that I was able to lift him free and carry him to safety”.
“I carried the shivering lad back to my campsite and put him by the fire to warm up, covering him with a blanket to stop any additional chills. He was still in shock I expect as he said nothing, just sat there like a lump while his clothes slowly steamed. Deciding that perhaps some food may help things along, I carefully stirred some of the leftover trout with a bit of flour and water to make a warming broth which I then poured into a mug and had him sip.”
