they lay piled against each
other with black hollows between.

Chippy looked down thoughtfully, then his eyes lighted up. 'Never seen
a more likely place in me life for big eels,' he grunted; 'they love a
hole atwixt stones lik that.'

'Do you think we could catch a few?' cried Dick eagerly.

'Shouldn't wonder,' replied his comrade. 'We'll have a go, anyhow.
Fust, we want some lobs.'

The search for lob-worms was made at once.

'We'll have to dig for them, I suppose,' said Dick.

'Not a bit of it,' said Chippy. 'I'll show ye a lot quicker way than
that.'

He went to the side of the field where there was a ditch nearly dry in
the hot sun. He walked along the ditch until he came to a stone. He
turned the stone swiftly, and there was almost sure to be a big lob
lying underneath it, sometimes two or three. Before they could
withdraw into their holes the Raven's finger was pressed on their
tails, and they were helpless. In a few moments he had collected more
than a dozen big lobs, and these were carried back triumphantly to the
mill-pool in his hat.

Next he cut a couple of hazel-rods about four feet long, and fairly
stiff, tied a short line to each, and fastened a strong-eyed hook at
the end of the line.

'Now we're ready,' he said. 'This little game's called "sniggling,"
an' it's a sure thing if only th' eel's at 'ome. Lemme get 'old 'o one
fust, an' show ye how to pull 'im out.'

Chippy put a lob on his hook, and then pinched a small split bullet--of
which his friend had given him half a dozen--on the line about six
inches above the hook. He dropped the weighted bait into a dark hole
between two fragments of stone, and moved it gently about. Two or
three minutes passed; then the Raven drew his bait up.

'Nobody in,' he remarked; 'try next door.' He moved a yard along the
bank, and dropped the bait into a second dark crevice. It was seized
instantly, and the line sharply plucked.

'One 'ere,' said Chippy; 'there's no mistake about hearin' from him, if
there's one about.'

'Look how he's pulling at the line!' cried Dick, as the slender cord
jerked again and again.

'Yus,' said Chippy; 'nuthin' plucks an' pulls like an eel. Now he's
got a good hold o' the bait, an' out he comes.'

The Raven began to pull firmly but slowly, keeping the line quite taut.

'Don't try to yank 'im out,' he said to his pupil. 'Sure's ye do,
ye'll break the line an' lose the lot. Pull gently at 'im till he's
tir