o
afford them an excuse for frequently pursuing it. Then there was a
bite; and Hans, who held the line, found that it taxed his strength
to haul in the fish which tugged and strained upon it. When it was
got into the boat, it proved to be some fourteen pounds in weight.
By this time two of the other baits had been taken and, in less
than an hour, they had caught upwards of thirty fish, most of them
of considerable size.

The natives were delighted and, paddling to shore, the burden was
distributed among the whole party, with the exception of the chief
and the two whites. Before starting, a young tree was cut down and
chopped into lengths of a few feet each; and on these rollers the
canoe was hauled high up the beach. Then the party set out for the
village; where their arrival, with so large a supply of food,
occasioned great rejoicing.

After this, the boys went down regularly, every day, to fish. At
first three or four of the natives always accompanied them, under
pretense of carrying back the fish; but really, as they thought, to
keep a watch over them. To lessen their hosts' suspicions,
sometimes one or other stayed in the village. As time went on, the
suspicion of the Malays abated. The number of the guard was
lessened and, finally, as the men disliked so long a tramp, some of
the boys were told off to accompany the white men, and assist in
bringing back their fish. They were in the habit of starting soon
after daybreak, and of not returning till late in the evening;
accounting for their long absence by pointing to the sun.

The fishing was always performed immediately they reached the
coast. When they had caught as many as they and the boys could
carry, these were placed in a large covered basket; which was sunk
in the water close to the shore, to keep the fish in good condition
until they started. Then they would paddle about within the reef
or, during the extreme heat of the day, lie in the boat, shaded by
bunches of palm leaves. The Malay boys--who were set on shore after
the fishing--were left alone; and amused themselves by bathing, or
passed the time asleep under the trees.

After the first day or two, it had struck the boys that it was
dangerous to leave the canoe high on the sand; as it would be
observed, even at a distance, by a passing prahu. Consequently a
deep trench had been dug from the sea, far enough up to allow the
canoe, when floating in it, to lie below the level of the beach.
Before leavi