dles, and the water lapping up against
the bow of the canoe, I felt an indescribable kind of delight that no
words of mine will put on paper.

I should think we paddled about a couple of miles, and then at a word
from Mr Ebony the paddles were all laid in, and a line, with its great
coarsely-made hooks formed out of well-sharpened pieces of brass wire,
was handed to me, my guide showing me how to throw it over the side; not
that I needed showing, for it seemed to come quite natural; and I began
to think, as I passed the line over, of the sticklebacks on Clapham
Common, and the occasional carp that we schoolboys used to catch.

Mr Ebony grinned with satisfaction, and threw his own line over the
side just as a splash behind me made me turn in time to see a rope
running out rapidly, evidently attached to some kind of anchor.

This checked the canoe, which was floating along so fast that it had
begun to ride over our lines, which now, however, floated away upon the
swift current.

There was no noise or chattering now, but all the blacks sat or stood
very quietly in the canoe, and I saw that three of them had long spears,
barbed like hooks, and looking as if they were meant for catching fish.

There was a good length of line in my hands, which I kept on paying out,
as the sailors call it, just as Mr Ebony was letting out his till it
was nearly all gone, and I saw that the end was tied to the edge of the
canoe. But still there was no sign of any fish, and I was beginning to
stare about me, for just then a patch of golden light seemed to start
out into view, and I could see that the tops of the mountains in the
island were just catching the first rays of the sun, while the stars
that had been looking so pale seemed to go out quickly one after
another.

"I wonder whether Uncle Dick is awake yet," I thought to myself, "and
what he will say to my being away, and--"

An exclamation from my black companion brought me back from my dreamy
thoughts; not that it was necessary, for something else had roused me,
and that was a sharp jerk at the line, which snatched it quite out of my
hands, and had it not been fastened to the side of the boat I should
have lost it.

Mr Ebony was coming to my help, but seeing me dart at it again and,
catching hold, begin to haul in and struggle hard with my fish, he
rubbed himself and grinned, especially when he saw that I had to hang on
with all my might to keep from being dragged out of the ca