ed, for I distinctly saw a slight quivering of
the top of the float.

"No," he said despondently. "I did that, shaking the top of the rod.
I'm not so lucky as you. Yes, it is. Hooray!"

For the faint quiver was repeated, then there were one or two little
bobs, then others, and at last the float began to dance slowly away
toward the shore.

"He has got it, and is going to take it to his hole," whispered Mercer.
"But he don't go here to-night. He's going into the frying-pan, I
think. Hah! Got him!"

For he now struck sharply, and the rod bent tremendously. There was no
steady, motionless pull here, but a fierce shaking of the head and a
hard, vibratory tugging at the line.

"Bigger than yours," he cried. "A thumper! My, how he pulls! Ah,
would you? No, you don't, my fine fellow. He wants to get to the bank,
I suppose, but he's coming out here into deep water, where there's
nothing to twist about, and he's not going ashore till I go first."

Just then the eel made a rush first in one direction, then in another,
but with a heavy pressure kept up, and the rod bending nearly double.
Then it made a rush for the shore, and Mercer raised the point of his
rod and stepped back, while I uttered a cry, for the rod had struck me
sharply on the ear.

But it was not at the blow, but at the tremendous splash, for, forgetful
in his excitement of where he stood, Mercer's step was off the narrow
penstock right into the deep water, and as I clung to the post with one
hand, I was looking down into the huge bubbling ring he had made, to see
first the rod come up, then Mercer's hand, and then his face, close to
his floating cap, but quite a dozen feet away from where I stood.

I was too much startled to move for a few moments, while Mercer beat the
water with his hands frantically for a bit, and then went under again,
but rose and called to me hoarsely,--

"Help!"

"Swim!" I shouted. "Swim!" But he only gazed at me wildly, and I saw
him go down again.

For an instant or two I stood as if turned to stone, then a thought
struck me, and I ran along the woodwork to where I had left my rod, and,
without thinking of the danger and the narrowness of the path, I ran
back again in time to see Mercer rise again, beating the water
frantically.

"Here, quick!" I shouted. "Catch hold;" and I held out the thin bamboo
pole to him, but it did not reach within a couple of yards of where he
was beating the water.

But it had i