en, out of a sheer teasing spirit, rose up again to
give the soles of his feet a good push, and when it did this there was a
curious giddy feeling in his head.

So he held tightly by his father's hand while he stepped over the seat,
and then hurriedly went down upon his knees by where Dick was holding
the line, at the end of which some fish was tugging and straining
furiously.

"Here you are!" cried Dick, handing the line to his brother. "He's a
beauty! A pollack, I know; and when you get him he's all orange, and
green, and gold!"

"But it's dragging the line out of my hands!" said Arthur.

"Don't let it! Hold tight!" cried Dick, whose cheeks were flushed with
excitement.

"But it cuts my hands," said Arthur pettishly.

"Never mind that! All the better! It's a big one! Let a little more
line out."

Arthur obeyed, and the fish darted off so vigorously that it would have
carried off all there was had not Dick checked it.

"Now, hold tight!" cried Dick. "Play him. Now begin to haul in."

"But the line's all messy," said Arthur, in tones full of disgust.

"Oh, what a fellow you are! Now, then, never mind the line being messy;
haul away!"

"What, pull?" said Arthur feebly.

"To be sure! Pull away hand over hand. I know he's a monster."

Mr Temple and the little crew of two were so intent upon the old mine
that they paid no heed to the boys. Hence it was that Dick took the
lead and gave his directions to his brother how to catch fish, in a
manner that would have been heartily condemned by both Josh and Will,
whose ideas of playing a fish consisted in hauling it aboard as soon as
they could.

"Oh, you're not half hauling it in!" cried Dick, as he grew out of
patience with his brother's fumbling ways. "You'll lose it."

"You be quiet and let me alone," said Arthur quickly. "I daresay I know
as much about sea-fishing as you do."

"Then why don't you haul in the line?"

"Because the fish won't come, stupid! There, you see, he will now!"
continued Arthur, hauling pretty fast, as the captive began to give way.
"Oh, how nasty! I'm getting my knees quite wet."

Quite! For he had remained kneeling in the bottom of the boat, too much
excited to notice that he was drawing the dripping line over his legs,
and making a little pool about his knees.

"Never mind the wet--haul!" cried Dick; and he hardly keep his fingers
off the line.

Urged in this way by his brother, Arthur went on pulling the lin