ed; then out he comes, smooth an' easy.'

Three or four minutes passed before Chippy drew the snake-like head of
the eel out of the black hole between the stones.

'A good un,' he snapped, drew on the line a little harder, and swung an
eel weighing half a pound or more to the bank, where he promptly put
one foot on the eel and drew the line taut.

'See wot I'm doin'?' said the Raven. 'If ye don't look out, he'll
tangle hisself all up in yer line, an' give ye a fine old job to get
'im free.' With that he whipped out his knife, and despatched the
wriggling creature by cutting off its head.

Dick now took his stick and line to try his luck, while his comrade dug
out hook and bait, which had vanished down the eel's throat. Dick
caught a little one in the first hole that he tried, and drew it safely
to the bank. But there he failed to control its wild, sinuous
movements, and it tangled itself up in his line in such a style that
Chippy had to come to his aid.

After that he got on much better, and caught two good-sized ones, and
held them and the line taut, while Chippy sailed in with the knife and
whipped their heads off.

In a short time they had seven, for the holes were well furnished with
occupants, and with these seven they stayed content. They washed them
in a quiet backwater, and rubbed them as clean as they could with wisps
of dry grass, and then packed them in Chippy's haversack, with more dry
grass about them.

'Mek' us a jolly good supper to-night,' said the Raven.

'They will,' cried Dick. 'Now for the road again. We've got an uphill
stretch before us, Chippy, according to the map.'

CHAPTER XXXIX

THE STORM--WHAT HAPPENED WHILE THEY DRIED THEIR CLOTHES

Within a mile again, the track they were following--a very ancient
vicinal way--began to rise over a long stretch of moorland used mainly
for sheep-walks, and covered in places with wide patches of low-growing
bilberry-bushes. On some of these bushes the purple little berries
were already ripe, and the boys gathered them in handfuls, and ate them
as they walked.

Suddenly a low, heavy muttering called their attention to the western
sky, and they saw a blue-black cloud rising swiftly.

'Thunder,' said Dick; 'that's what this terrific heat has meant.'

'Best step out,' remarked the Raven. 'No shelter about 'ere for a mile
or two.'

They stayed no longer to gather bilberries, but pushed on at a steady
swinging stride, looking back f