as
the clock through the summer, always twice, and often three times a day.

Now the boys either had, or fancied they had, a right also to fish at
their pleasure over the whole of this part of the river, and would not
understand that the right (if any) only extended to the Rugby side. As
ill-luck would have it, the gentleman who owned the opposite bank, after
allowing it for some time without interference, had ordered his keepers
not to let the boys fish on his side--the consequence of which had been
that there had been first wranglings and then fights between the keepers
and boys; and so keen had the quarrel become that the landlord and his
keepers, after a ducking had been inflicted on one of the latter, and
a fierce fight ensued thereon, had been up to the great school at
calling-over to identify the delinquents, and it was all the Doctor
himself and five or six masters could do to keep the peace. Not even his
authority could prevent the hissing; and so strong was the feeling that
the four prepostors of the week walked up the school with their canes,
shouting "S-s-s-s-i-lenc-c-c-c-e" at the top of their voices. However,
the chief offenders for the time were flogged and kept in bounds; but
the victorious party had brought a nice hornet's nest about their ears.
The landlord was hissed at the School-gates as he rode past, and when he
charged his horse at the mob of boys, and tried to thrash them with
his whip, was driven back by cricket-bats and wickets, and pursued with
pebbles and fives balls; while the wretched keepers' lives were a burden
to them, from having to watch the waters so closely.

The School-house boys of Tom's standing, one and all, as a protest
against this tyranny and cutting short of their lawful amusements, took
to fishing in all ways, and especially by means of night-lines. The
little tacklemaker at the bottom of the town would soon have made his
fortune had the rage lasted, and several of the barbers began to lay in
fishing-tackle. The boys had this great advantage over their enemies,
that they spent a large portion of the day in nature's garb by the
river-side, and so, when tired of swimming, would get out on the other
side and fish, or set night-lines, till the keepers hove in sight, and
then plunge in and swim back and mix with the other bathers, and the
keepers were too wise to follow across the stream.

While things were in this state, one day Tom and three or four others
were bathing at Wra