t and put on your hook."

"To be sure, sir; but hadn't I better cut off all but the head, and
leave that on?"

"Try it," said Syd, who forgot all his cares of government over the
sport.

The man whipped out his knife and cut through the remains of his fish
just at the gills, throwing out the bright silvery lure, and the moment
it touched the water, all fresh and bleeding, it was seized by a heavy
fish, which he dragged in successfully, for it to be flapping about with
its scales as large as florins flashing in the sun, all silver and
steely blue.

"Ten pounds, if he's an ounce," cried Roylance. "I say, Rogers, are you
going to have all the fun?"

"No, sir. Have a try," cried the man. "I'll soon put you on a good
bait. Look here, sir, this head's on tight. Try it again."

Roylance threw in his line, but there was no answering attack; and he
waited a few minutes, with the waves carrying it here and there.

"No good," he said. "Cut a fresh bait."

But as he spoke there was a jerk which made the line cut into his hand,
followed by a desperate struggle, and another, the largest fish yet, was
landed; one not unlike the last caught, but beautifully banded with
blue.

"Why, here's provision for as long as we like to stay," cried Syd.

"And how are we to cook it? We have not much more wood?"

"We'll dry it in the sun, if we can't manage any other way. Now throw
out just to the left of that rock."

Roylance was already aiming in that direction, the bait falling a couple
of yards to the left; and if it had been aimed right into a fish's
mouth, the answering tug, which betokened the getting home of the hook,
could not have been more rapid. Then followed a minute's exciting play,
a tremendous jerk, and the hook came back baitless and fishless.

"Never mind, sir; try again. Strikes me it's sharks is lying out there,
waiting to get hold of all we ketches, 'cause the weather's too hot for
'em to do it themselves. There you are, sir; as shiny silver a bait as
any one could have."

There was another cast, and in less than a minute a fresh fish was
hooked, and this escaped the savage jaws waiting to seize it, and was
hauled in.

"There, that's the biggest yet," cried Syd. "Fifteen pounder, I know."

"You try now," said Roylance, and for the next half-hour, with varying
success, they fished on, for there was to be quite a feast that evening,
the men hailing with delight so capital a change from their salt me