lways kept their cod-lines on the
hand-reels under the stern seat. Skookie took command of the expedition,
for he seemed to know instinctively where the best fish could be found.
Under his instruction he and John paddled the boat out fifty fathoms or
so from the extreme beach point, where he motioned John to take up his
hand-line while he held the boat in place. "Plenty deep waters here," he
said; "plenty dose codfish."

"Sure!" said John. "Here's right where Jimmy took us the first time."

The boys threw over their lines, letting the heavy leads of the big
hooks sink into more than one hundred feet of water. They had not long
to wait, for the codfish seemed to be extremely numerous hereabout. John
gave a sudden jerk and began to pull in rapidly, hand over hand. After a
time they could see the gleam of a ten-pound codfish coming up to the
surface on the line, rolling and twisting lazily and making no great
fight. With a whoop John threw him into the boat, where the fish seemed
even too lazy to flap about very much. It was a fine, dark fish, and
Skookie gave it his professional approval as he rapped it over the head.
Hardly had John gotten his fish into the boat before Jesse also began to
pull in and added a second prize. Rob was fishing on the opposite side
of the boat, and using a sort of squid with lead run around the hook,
much like a bluefish squid. He was pulling the bait up and down with
long jerks, as the native codfishers do, when all at once he felt
something strike. "This fish seems mighty heavy," said he, "and it runs
around different from a cod." None the less, he kept on pulling in line,
and at length saw the gleam of a fish. "Humph!" said he, "no wonder it
pulls hard! I've hooked it right square in the side. It pulls harder
than a foul-hooked salmon, down that deep in the water. I wonder what it
is?"

It was a flat, shiny fish, handsome enough to look at, but Skookie shook
his head. "Him no good," said he, and at once threw it overboard.

"I think that is what the sailormen call a silver hake," said Rob; "but
if Skookie doesn't approve of it, I guess we won't take any chances."

The fish kept on biting at Rob's peculiar lure and at the pieces of
salmon which the other boys used as bait. In the course of an hour they
had the bow end of the dory well piled up with codfish, and Rob
declared that they had enough. They also had nearly a dozen gnarled,
knobby-looking fish, mostly all head, which Skookie insi