ater was visible at
the edges, and the presence of crocodiles plain enough.

"Will not these places be very offensive when they dry and the fish
die?" said Drew, quickly.

"No, sir, the crocs won't leave any fish to die, and before long they'll
begin travelling down to the sea."

The shore was reached at last, and all eagerly laid the cocoa-nuts under
contribution, the cool, sub-acid milk being most refreshing. Then the
boat was run down over the sand by the sailors, launched, and they put
off across the calm lagoon, only pausing twice for a few of the soft
molluscs to be fished up to act as bait.

A quarter of an hour later the boat was made fast to a mass of coral
upon a bare patch of fairly level rock some fifty feet across. It was
close to an opening in the reef, where the tide came rushing in and the
water was roughened and disturbed, beside possessing the advantage for
the fisherman of going down at once quite deep, where they could throw
out their lines right into the opening.

Three of these were soon rigged up and baited by the men, Smith devoting
himself to Oliver Lane, who stood ready to throw out his lead sinker.

"Aren't you going to fish too, Mr Rammer?" he asked.

"Not if you can get any, my lad; I'm going to lash this big shark hook
on to the end of a long pole and gaff all you catch."

Oliver laughed.

"You don't expect that I'm going to catch anything big enough for you to
want a hook like that to haul it out?"

"Why not? We haven't come to catch sprats, sir. Strikes me that if the
fish bite, you'll find you get hold of some thumpers. I've fished in
these waters before, and I remember what sort of sport I had out in
Fiji. Ready?"

"Yes," said Lane, who had just covered his hook with the tough
mussel-like mollusc he had drawn out of a shell.

"Throw in just out yonder, then, right in the opening of the reef where
the waves come in."

Oliver gave his lead a swing and brought it heavily in contact with
Smith's head.

"That aren't fish, sir, that's foul," grumbled the man.

"I beg your pardon, Smith," cried Oliver, confusedly.

"My fault p'raps, sir. Try again. All right: line's laid in rings so
that it'll run out."

Oliver gave the lead another swing and loosed it with so good an aim
that it fell twenty yards away right in the swift current rushing
through the opening in the reef.

"First in," he cried. "Look sharp, you two."

"Mind, sir, quick!" cried Smith, as the line