his fortune had the rage lasted, and several of the barbers began
to lay in fishing-tackle. The boys had this great advantage over their
enemies, that they spent a large portion of the day in nature's garb
by the river side, and so, when tired of swimming, would get out on
the other side and fish, or set night-lines, till the keepers hove
in sight, and then plunge in and swim back and mix with the other
bathers, and the keepers were too wise to follow across the stream.

[26] #Tackle-maker#: one who makes fishing-tackle.

CHAFFING A KEEPER.

While things were in this state, one day Tom and three or four others
were bathing at Wratislaw's, and had, as a matter of course, been
taking up and resetting night-lines. They had all left the water, and
were sitting or standing about at their toilets, in all costumes from
a shirt upward, when they were aware of a man in a velveteen
shooting-coat approaching from the other side. He was a new keeper, so
they didn't recognize or notice him, till he pulled up right opposite
and began:--

"I see'd some of you young gentlemen over this side a fishing just
now."

"Hullo, who are you? what business is that of yours, old
Velveteens?"[27]

[27] #Velveteens#: alluding to the keeper's velveteen suit.

"I'm the new under-keeper, and master's told me to keep a sharp look
out on all o' you young chaps. And I tells 'ee I mean business, and
you'd better keep on your own side, or we shall fall out."

"Well, that's right, Velveteens--speak out and let's know your mind at
once."

"Look here, old boy," cried East, holding up a miserable coarse fish
or two and a small jack, "would you like to smell 'em, and see which
bank they lived under?"

"I'll give you a bit of advice, keeper," shouted Tom, who was sitting
in his shirt paddling with his feet in the river; "you'd better go
down there to Swift's where the big boys are; they're beggars[28] at
setting lines, and'll put you up to a wrinkle or two for catching the
five-pounders." Tom was nearest to the keeper, and that officer, who
was getting angry at the chaff, fixed his eyes on our hero, as if to
take note of him for future use. Tom returned his gaze with a steady
stare, and then broke into a laugh, and struck into the middle of a
favorite School-house song:--

"As I and my companions
Were setting of a snare,
The gamekeeper was watching us,
For him we did not care:
For we can wrestle and fight, my boys,
A