sting a
splendid fish.

Ebo chatted away in reply, almost as angrily, after which, evidently
satisfied that I did not understand, he behaved very nastily, though his
dumb-show was so comic that it made us roar with laughter.

For he pretended to eat, as we supposed, some of the fish. Then he
jumped up, sat down, jumped up again, rubbed his front, kicked out his
legs and shouted, making hideous grimaces as if he were in pain, ending
by leaning over the side of the boat, pretending to be horribly sick,
and finishing his performance by lying down, turning up his eyes, and
moaning.

"We must take what he shows us for granted, Nat," said my uncle, as Ebo
jumped up smiling, as much as to say, "Wasn't I clever?" "These people
know which are the wholesome and which are the unwholesome fish; but I
was going to use some of that fellow for bait."

Just then Ebo hooked and brought in a fine fish that was all blue, but
even this one would not do, for he killed it and tossed it overboard,
chattering at it the while as if he were abusing it for being so bad.

We saw scores of fish dart at it as it was thrown in, and now they bit
so freely at the artificial baits that there was no occasion to change.

I had hold of what seemed a nice fish directly, and after letting it run
a little I began hauling in, watching its progress through the shallow
clear water and thinking how bright and beautiful it looked against the
brilliant corals, the softly waving weeds of every shade of brown and
scarlet, while now and then some other fish darted at it.

All at once I uttered a cry of astonishment, for a long line of
undulating creamy white seemed to dart at my fish, seize it with a jerk,
and twist itself round it, till fish and the eel-like creature that
attacked it resembled a knot.

I kept on hauling in, but only slowly now, for fear the hook should
break out, the weight being double what it was and the water lashed into
glittering foam.

"What is it, uncle?" I cried excitedly.

"Don't hurry, Nat," he replied; and just then Ebo, who had been too busy
pulling in a fish to notice my line, threw out again, and then fastening
his cord came over to my side to see.

No sooner did he make out what I had at the end of the line than he
seized his club, gesticulated furiously, and began beating the side of
the boat, chattering aloud, and signing to me to give him the line.

"Let him have it, Nat," said my uncle. "He has had experience with