e tarpaulin.

Of course it had dropped down upon the raft: for there it was, flopping
and bounding about among the folds of the flying-jib, far more taken by
surprise than Ben Brace, who had witnessed its mishap, or even little
William, upon whose face it had fallen, with all the weight of its
watery carcass. If a bird in the hand be worth two in the bush, by the
same rule a fish in the hand should be worth two in the water, and more
than that number flying in the air.

Some such calculation as this might have passed through the brain of Ben
Brace; for, instead of continuing to hold his handspike high flourished
over his head, in the hope of striking another fish, he suffered the
implement to drop down upon the raft; and stooping down, he reached
forward to secure the one that had voluntarily, or, rather, should we
say, involuntarily, offered itself as a victim.

As it kept leaping about over the raft, there was just the danger that
it might reach the edge of that limited area, and once more escape to
its natural element.

This, however naturally desired by the fish, was the object which the
occupants of the raft most desired to prevent; and to that end both had
got upon their knees, and were scrambling over the sail-cloth with as
much eager earnestness as a couple of terriers engaged in a scuffle with
a harvest rat.

Once or twice little William had succeeded in getting the fish in his
fingers; but the slippery creature, armed also with its spinous
fin-wings, had managed each time to glide out of his grasp; and it was
still uncertain whether a capture might be made, or whether after all
they were only to be tantalised by the touch and sight of a morsel of
food that was never to pass over their palates.

The thought of such a disappointment stimulated Ben Brace to put forth
all his energies, coupled with his greatest activity. He had even
resolved upon following the fish into the sea if it should prove
necessary,--knowing that for the first few moments after regaining its
natural element it would be more easy of capture. But just then an
opportunity was offered that promised the securing of the prey without
the necessity of wetting a stitch of his clothes.

The fish had been all the while bounding about upon the spread
sail-cloth, near the edge of which it had now arrived. But it was fated
to go no farther, at least of its own accord; for Ben seeing his
advantage, seized hold of the loose selvage of the sail