in the evening light with green, and gold,
and silver, and cream, the monster was flopping on the floor of the
punt, trying frantically to leap out, and snapping with its jaws in a
way that would have been decidedly unpleasant for any hand that was
near.

The monster's career was at an end, though. A heavy blow on the head
stunned it, and a couple more put it beyond feeling, while the occupants
of the boat stood gazing down at their prize, as grand a pike as is
often seen, for it was nearly four feet long, and well-fed and thick.

"Look at his teeth!" cried Tom excitedly; "why, there's great fangs full
half an inch long."

"Yes, and sharp as knives!" cried Dick.

"Ay, he've hed nice games in his time here, lads!" said Dave, grinning
with pleasure. "I'm straange and glad you've caught him. Many's the
time I've sin him chase the fish and tak' down the water-rats. One day
he hed howd of a big duck. He got it by its legs as I was going along,
and the poor thing quacked and tried to fly, but down it went d'reckly.
Big pike like this un'll yeat owt."

"And if he got hold of them with these hooked teeth, Dave, they wouldn't
get away."

"Nay, lad, that they wouldn't. He'd take a pike half as big as hissen,
if he got the charnsh."

"Well, he won't kill any more," cried Dick triumphantly. "Oh, Tom, if
we had lost him after all!"

"I'd reyther hev lost a whole tak' o' duck, lads," said Dave, shaking
each of his companions' hands warmly. "There'll be straange games among
all the fishes and birds here, because he's ketched. Look at him!
Theer's a pike, and they're a trying to dree-ern all the watter off from
the fens and turn 'em into fields. Hey, lads, it'll be a straange bad
time for us when it's done."

"But do you think it will take off all the water, and spoil the fen,
Dave?" said Tom.

"Nay, lad, I don't," said Dave with sudden emphasis. "It's agen nature,
and it wean't be done. Hey and we must be getting back."

He plunged the pole into the water as he spoke, and it seemed to grow
blacker and blacker, as they talked pike over their capture, till the
shore was reached, and the prize borne to Hickathrift's workshop, where
a pair of big rough scales showed that within a few ounces the pike
weighed just what Dave guessed, to wit two stone and a half old
Lincolnshire weight of fourteen pounds to the stone, or thirty-five
pounds.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

MR. MARSTON'S NARROW ESCAPE.

The wintry weather