worm sank slowly; the water
wrinkled about the line; but there followed no tug at the hook, although
Henry stood patiently for several moments. He cast again, and yet again,
with like result.

"Ah, ba!" muttered Hiram, in his ear; "this fellow's appetite needs
tickling. He is being fed too well and turns up his nose at a common
earthworm, does he? Let me show you a wrinkle, Henry."

Henry drew the line ashore again and shook off the useless bait.

"You're, not fishing," Hiram continued with a grim smile. "You've just
been drowning a worm. But I'll show that old fellow sulking down below
there that he is no match this early in the spring for a pair of hungry
boys!"

He recrossed the meadow, and the stepping stones, to the wood. He had
noticed a log lying in the path as he descended the hillside. With the
toe of his boot he kicked a patch of bark from the log, and thereby lay
bare the wavering trail of a busy grub. Following the trail he quickly
found the fat, juicy insect, which immediately took the earthworm's
place upon the hook.

Again Henry cast and this time, before the grub even touched the surface
of the pool, the fish leaped and swallowed the tempting morsel, hook and
all!

There was no playing of the fish on Henry's part. A quick jerk and the
gasping spotted beauty, a pound and a quarter, or more, in weight, lay
upon the sward beside the crackling fire.

"Whoop-ee!" called Henry, excitedly. "That's Number One!"

While Hiram dexterously scaled and cleaned the first trout, Henry caught
a couple more. Hiram brought forth, too, the coffee, salt and pepper,
sugar, a piece of fat salt pork and two table knives and forks.

He raked a smooth bed in the glowing coals, sliced the pork thin, laid
some slices in the pan and set that upon the coals, where the pork began
to sputter almost at once.

The water in the kettle was boiling and he made the coffee. Then he laid
the trout upon the pan with three slices of pork upon each, and sat
back upon his haunches beside Henry enjoying the delicious odor in
anticipation of the more solid delights of breakfast.

They had hard crackers and with these, and drinking the coffee from
the kettle itself, when it was cool enough, the two boys feasted like
monarchs.

"By Jo!" exclaimed Henry. "This beats maw's soda biscuit and fat meat
gravy!"

But as he ate, Hiram's gaze traveled again and again across the
scrub-grown meadow. The lay of the land pleased him. The richness o