d be dark before they reached the
shore.

"What's that?" cried Tom suddenly, as he swept the surface of the water,
and he pointed to a faint white speck about twenty yards away.

"Hey? Why, it is!" cried Dave. "Tek the hook again, Mester Dick, lad;
there's a little wind left yet in th' blether, and it's coom oop!"

"Let me!" cried Tom.

"Shall I do it, lad?" said Dave.

"No, let me try this once!" cried Dick. "Or, no; you try, Tom!"

Tom snatched at the staff of the hook, but offered it back to his
companion.

"No, Dick," he said; "you missed, and you've a right to try again!"

"No, you try!" said Dick hurriedly, as he thrust his hands in his
pockets to be out of temptation.

"Nay, let Mester Dick hev one more try!" cried Dave; and the lad took
the staff, went through all his former manoeuvres, struck more deeply
with the staff, and this time, as he felt a check, he twisted the hook
round and round in the string, and felt as if it would be jerked out of
his hand.

"Twist un again, mun! Get well twissen!" cried Dave; and as the lad
obeyed, the punt, already in motion, was for a short distance literally
drawn by the strong fish in its desperate efforts to escape.

"Let me come this time, young Tom Tallington!" cried Dave.

"No, no; I'll help!" cried Tom.

"But I shouldn't like you to lose this un, lads. Theer, go on and
charnsh it. You get well howd o' the band while young squire untwisses
the hook. He's 'bout bet out now and wean't mak' much of a fight!"

Tom obeyed, and Dick, who was trembling with excitement, set the hook at
liberty.

Meanwhile the fish was struggling furiously at the end of some fifteen
feet of stout line; but the fight had been going on some time now, and
at the end of a few minutes, as Dave manoeuvred the punt so as to ease
the strain on the line, Tom found that he could draw the captive slowly
to the surface.

"Tak' care, Mester Dick, throost hook reight in his gills, and in wi' un
at onced."

Dick did not reply, but stood ready, and it was well that he did so, for
as Tom drew the fish right up, such a savage, great, teeth-armed pair of
jaws came gaping at him out of the water, that he started and stumbled
back, dragging the hook from its hold.

But before he could utter a cry of dismay there was a tremendous sputter
and splash, for Dick had been in time, and, as the fish-hook was
breaking out, had securely caught the pike with the gaff.

The next moment, all ablaze