ay, with all the consequential airs of a first discoverer.

"I want several pictures of this spot," Jack remarked, "but they will do
better along about ten o'clock, when the sun gets stronger, and the
contrasts are more striking. Besides, the fishing must come first, and
its always in its prime early in the morning. So get busy, Toby, and
let's see who lands the first bass."

Jack himself was something of a fisherman, as Toby well understood.
Indeed, he knew more about the habits of the tricky bass than any of the
boys in Chester; for as a rule they had been content simply to angle
with a worm, and take "pot-luck," while Jack had read up on the subject,
and even done more or less fancy fly fishing amidst other scenes.

Nevertheless Toby got the first fish. Perhaps this was because he knew
just how deep the water was, where a favorite swirl had yielded him
several finny prizes on the occasion of his former visit; or possibly
just through "dumb luck," as he called it. There is no accounting for
the freaks of fishing; a greenhorn is just as apt as not to haul in the
biggest bass ever taken in a lake, where an accomplished angler has
taken a thousand smaller fish from year to year, yet never landed such a
prize. "Fisherman's luck" has thus long become a famous saying.

However, Toby was not too exultant over his success. He fancied that
before they were done with the morning's sport Jack would be giving him
a pretty lively chase for the honors.

They certainly did have plenty of fun, though perhaps the finny
inhabitants of Paradise River may not have enjoyed the game quite as
well, since it was too one-sided. Inside of an hour they had taken seven
very good fish, really as many as they could well use; though Toby kept
saying that it was hard to gauge that appetite of Steve's, and one or
two more wouldn't come in amiss. It is so easy for even a conscientious
fisherman to find excuses for continuing the sport as long as the fish
will bite, such is the fascination connected with the game.

Then the expected happened. Jack had a tremendous bite, and was speedily
playing a fish that made his fine rod bend like a whip. Toby, forgetting
his own line, began dancing up and down on the bank, and urging Jack to
play him carefully.

CHAPTER XIII

THE MAN WITH THE PICKAX

"Oh!" cried Toby excitedly, as the hooked fish leaped wildly from the
water, and tried to fall across the taut line, with the idea of breaking
loose,