row so much better."

"I don't think you will need them," said the mate, as he finished
attaching a spoon-bait to Jack's line; "the current will carry the bait
right through the shoal."

"Yes, but fair play, Jack. I'm not ready, let's start together."

But he was too late. Jack dropped his bait over the side as the doctor
spoke, and away it glided, sinking slowly and turning and twinkling in
the sunlit water, while when, in obedience to the mate's instructions,
Jack checked the line as it ran over the side, and drew it a few feet
back, the resemblance to a fish was strangely apparent.

"There you are," cried the doctor, as, after laying a quantity of line
in rings beside him, he threw his own bait so cleverly that it fell with
a light splash nearly on a level with his companion's.

"Now then; a race for the first fish!" he cried, and they let out a good
fifty yards of line, with the result that, while, by Lenny giving a
gentle stroke or two with the oars, the boat was kept pretty well in its
place, the artificial baits were carried by the current right into the
middle of the shoal of fish playing about on the surface.

"Now for it," said the doctor, who looked as excited as the boy. "We
must have one directly."

"If they will take the artificial bait," said the mate. "Keep jerking
your line, Mr Jack."

"That way?"

"Yes; capital. Fish like to take a bait that seems to be trying to
escape from them."

"Then why don't they do it?" said the doctor impatiently.

"Give them time," said the mate, smiling.

"Time and line too, but they don't seem to notice the bait."

"They notice mine," said Jack. "Look here."

He gave a snatch with his line, Edward sitting ready to unhook the fish,
and as he drew the bait along toward him, there was a rush made while it
passed, but whether in pursuit or to escape from the novel object the
occupants of the boat could not make out for some time. At last,
though, the mate came to the conclusion that the spoon-bait scared the
shoal.

"That shows what a set of ignorant savages they are, Jack," cried the
doctor; "never saw a spoon-bait before in their lives, and don't know
it's meant to catch them. But never mind, we shall have one directly,
and then the others will know better."

"And go right away," said Jack dryly, as he kept on taking advantage of
the mate's instructions, and making his bait play about in the bright
water in a way which ought to have tempted a run,