on him savagely, but everyone in the boat was laughing, and
his countenance relaxed, and he rose up and leaned over the side of the
boat to wash his face, which a splash or two relieved from the pieces of
bog and dead vegetation which adhered.

"I don't mind," he said. "Only you wouldn't have found it a game if
you'd been there."

"Let's get back quickly," said Mr Marston, "or the boy will catch
cold."

"Oh, it won't hurt me!" cried Tom. "Let's catch the fish first. They
never get cold."

"Yes: let's haul the net out first," said Dick. "Tom won't mind a
ducking."

"Ay, we're going to hev out the net," said Dave. "Splash away, my lad.
That'll keep away the cold."

Poor Tom's feet had not been wet, but as he stood up with the water
trickling from him, a couple of streams soon made their way down the
legs of his trousers into his boots. This was, however, soon forgotten
in the excitement of the hauling.

For, after a fresh amount of splashing, though Dave declared the fish
had all come back, the punt was run pretty close up to one side, the
lines and pole taken on board, and the punt thrust toward the other
side.

Before they reached it the bobbing of the rush floats and the
semicircular shape of the top line showed plainly enough that there were
a good many fish there; and when Dave had secured the lines at the other
end, removed the poles, and by ingenious manipulation drawn on the
bottom line so as to raise the cord, it was not long before the net
began to assume the shape of a huge bag, and one that was pretty heavy.

Every now and then a swirl in the water and a splash showed where some
large fish was trying to escape, while sometimes one did leap out and
get away. Then the surface would be necked with silvery arrows as
swarms of small-fry appeared flashing into sight and disappearing, these
little bits of excitement growing less frequent as the small fish found
their way over the top of the net, or discovered that the meshes were
wide enough to allow them to pass through.

"How is it, Dave, that all the little fish like to keep to the top of
the water, and the big ones out of sight down at the bottom?" said Dick.

Dave chuckled, or rather made a noise something like a bray.

"S'pose you was a fish, young mester, wouldn't you, if you was a little
one, keep nigh the top if you found going down to the bottom among the
big uns meant being swallowed up?"

"Oh, of course!" cried Dick. "I forgot tha