om a point
beyond Warner came a shout, and this was undeniably a cry of triumph.
It was accompanied by a swishing through the air and the sound of an
object striking the leaves.

"I got him! I got him! I got him!" exclaimed Pennington, dancing about
as if he were only twelve years old.

Dick stood up and saw that Pennington, in truth, had caught a fine fish,
at least a foot long, which was now squirming over the leaves, its silver
scales gleaming.

"It seems to me," said Dick, "that the very young Territory of Nebraska
has scored over the veteran State of Vermont."

"A victor merely in a preliminary skirmish," said Warner serenely.
"The fish happened to be there. Frank's baited hook was close by.
The fish was hungry and the result was a mathematical certainty. Frank
is entitled to no credit whatever. As for me, I lure my fish within the
catching area."

As Dick resumed his seat he felt a sharp pull at his own line, and
drawing it in smartly he drew with it a fish as large as Pennington's,
a fact that he announced with pride.

"I think, Frank," he called, "that this is not good old Vermont's day.
Either we're more skillful or the fish like us better than they do
Warner. Which do you think it is?"

"It's both, Dick."

"On second thought, I don't agree with you, Frank. The fish in this
river are entirely new to us. They've never seen us before, and they
know nothing about us by hearsay and reputation. It's a case of skill,
pure skill, Frank. We've got Mr. Vermont down, and we're going to hold
him down."

Warner said nothing, but Dick rose up a little and saw his face. It was
red, the teeth clenched tightly, and the mouth drawn down at the corners.
His eyes were fixed eagerly on his cork in the hope of seeing it bob for
a moment and then be drawn swiftly under.

"Good old George," said Dick, under his breath. "He hates to be beaten--
well, so do we all."

Pennington caught another fish and then Dick drew in his second. Warner
did not have a bite since his first miss and his two comrades did not
spare him. They insinuated that there were no fish in Vermont, and they
doubted whether the state had any rivers either. In any event it was
obvious that Warner had never fished before. For several minutes they
carried on this conversation, the words, in a way, as they went back
and forth, passing directly by his head. But Warner did not speak. He
merely clenched his teeth more tightly and watched his