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five fish had been caught, the last one, which fell to the professor,
putting up the most gamy fight of them all. But still it was too easy
for real sport.

The ripple which Colin had been watching had come nearer, and in the
catching of the last fish, the boat had been brought quite close to it.

Then, noiselessly, and like a strange vision, out from the undulating
ripples rose slowly a creature more fantastic than the boy's wildest
dreams. The head was green, with large unwinking, glittering eyes. In
slow contortions, the body, of a transparency that showed the light
through, writhed like a tremendous ribbon-snake, and a sharp row of
serrated fins surmounted all its length, from which, near the head,
scarlet streamers floated like a mane. A moment thus it held its head
erect, then sank below the surface. The boy sat with his eyes fixed upon
the spot where he had seen this weird appearance, unknown and
ghostly-seeming.

"Colin," said the professor, and his tone was so imperative that the boy
turned sharply, "what is the matter? What are you watching?"

"I don't know, sir," said the boy; "I don't know much about fish, and I
was waiting until it came nearer. I was going to say----"

He stopped suddenly.

"What?" asked the professor, a little impatiently.

"You'd laugh at me," the boy answered.

"You saw----"

"I saw a big green head with large eyes and spines on its back put its
head out of the water," Colin said doggedly, "and it had a bright red
mane. I couldn't think of anything but--but,"--he hesitated and then
gulped out,--"a sea-serpent."

He half feared to look at his companion, feeling that a pitying smile
would greet his news, but after a few seconds' silence, he glanced up
and saw that his fellow-fisherman was looking grave and thoughtful. At
that instant the boy felt a quick snap at his line and he struck, the
salmon whirling away instantly. It was a good fight, and the fish was
full of grit, sending a curious thrumming sensation up the line that set
every nerve aquiver. At last he got the fish stopped, and had just
started to reel the big salmon in, when the apparition thrust its head
out of the water not twenty feet from the boat. It distracted Colin's
attention, and a few seconds later his line snapped.

"The salmon's got away," said Colin disgustedly.

"What does that matter?" said the professor. "We've something else to
do."

"What?"

"Catch your sea-serpent," was the reply, as the ol