hen theer's yer line, hook, an'
everythin' gone.'

He opened his packet of hooks and took out a largish one, whose shank
was covered smoothly with lead.

'I got these hooks from an old chap as lives close by us,' said Chippy.
'He's a reg'lar dab 'and at fishin', an' I've been with him many a time
to carry his basket an' things. He rigged me up wi' these when I told
'im about our trip, an' I know wot to do becos I've seen him at it
often enough. Now for the minnows.'

Chippy took the largest minnow, and, by the light of the fire, deftly
worked it over the hook and lead until the latter was hidden in the
body of the tiny fish.

'They call this the "pledge,"' he said, as he fastened the line into
the loop of the gut; 'an' the way yer use it is the "sink-an'-draw"
dodge. It's a sure kill, an' yer almost certain to get a big un.'

'But it's going darker and darker!' cried Dick.

'Dark's the time to use it,' replied his friend; 'that's when the big
uns come out an' swim at the bottom o' some deep hole, an' wait for
summat to show up atween them an' the sky.'

The scouts now went down to the bank, where Chippy had marked a
likely-looking pool between two big hawthorn-bushes. They moved very
softly, according to his orders, and when they gained the bank the
weighted minnow was swung out, dropped into the water without a splash,
and then lowered and raised slowly--the 'sink-and-draw' motion.

For five minutes Chippy worked steadily, and then he felt a sharp tug.
In this style of fishing one strikes at once. Chippy struck, and found
he was fast in a fish. He could not play it, for he had no reel. Nor
is it safe to play under bushes in the dark. It is a case of land or
smash, though a practised hand will land where a novice is certain to
smash. Chippy put a swift but even strain on the pliant rod, and swung
his fish up and out. The line was strong, the gut was good, and the
trout was well hooked. Out it came, turning and tumbling on the grass,
and Dick pounced upon it, for its under sides showed gleams of silver
in the faint light, and he could see it bounding. Chippy took it from
him, unhooked it, slipped his forefinger into the trout's mouth, and
broke its neck with a dexterous jerk of finger and thumb. Then he
weighed it in his hand. 'Not a big un,' he whispered; 'about half a
pound. There ought to be more on 'em in this pool.'

He examined the minnow, and found that by good luck the trout had done
lit