neatly and wind some of the superabundant line
about the little frame, when there was a whiz over the side, the line
darted out, there was a painful sensation of cutting, a jerk at the
lad's arm as if it were about to be dragged out of the socket, and--that
was all!

"Well, you hooked him," said Small grimly. "He must have been a big
un."

"Big?--a monster!" cried Mark excitedly. "He must have broken the
line."

"Haul in and bait again," said Small; and as the line was drawn in it
was found that there was no breakage, but the soft metal hook had bent
out nearly straight and torn from the fish's mouth.

"It hurt my hand horribly," said Mark as he bent the damaged hook back
into position; "but it must have hurt the fish more."

"Sarve him right, my lad!--he was on his way to kill and eat some other
fish. That's it. Chuck out again, and this time let him have it easy,
and if he's a big one give him time."

The carefully-baited hooks were thrown out again, and before the bait
had sunk a couple of feet it was once more seized.

"Sha'n't starve here, my lad!" said Small gleefully.

"Not if we can catch the fish," said Mark, whose fingers were burning
with the friction of the line. "I say, Small, is it a crocodile?"

"G'long with you! Crocodile!--no; it's not a very big one."

"But see how it pulls!" cried Mark as the fish continued its rush and
would have been off, line and all, some twenty fathoms, if it had not
been that the cord was securely fastened to the winder, which was
suddenly snatched from the bottom of the boat to fly with a rap against
the lad's knuckles.

"Don't you let him go, Mr Mark, sir!" cried Small, who was as excited
now as the lad. "Hold on! That's all our braxfusses."

"I'm going to hold on if I can," said Mark between his teeth; "but I
shall let him run if he's going to pull me out of the boat."

As he spoke the fish was tugging furiously at the line, drawing the
holder's arms out to their full stretch, and actually threatening to
jerk him over the side of the boat. Now it rushed to right, now to
left, and then made straight once more for the sea, and so full of
strength that this time Mark set his teeth, feeling sure that line,
hook, or his fingers must give way.

"You'll lose him. I know you will," cried Small, though how the
fisherman was to prevent the catastrophe now that he was at the end of
the line the boatswain did not say; and while finding fault, after the
fashio