m the regular salute due to an officer.

"Feel all right?" said the mate.

"Yes, much better than I thought."

"Fishing, eh?" said the mate. "Well, good luck to you! Come, we shan't
look upon you as an invalid now."

"Lie back in the chair a bit," said Poole, who was watching his
companion anxiously.

"What for?"

"I thought perhaps you might feel a little faint."

"Oh no, that's all gone off," cried the boy, drawing a deep long breath,
as he eagerly looked round the deck and up at the rigging of the smart
schooner, whose raking taper masts and white canvas gave her quite the
look of a yacht.

There was a look of wonder in the boy's eyes as he noted the trimness
and perfection of all round, as well as the smartness of the crew, whose
aspect suggested the truth, namely, that they had had their training on
board some man-of-war.

From craft and crew the boy's eyes wandered round over the sea, sweeping
the horizon, as he revelled in the soft pure air and the glorious light.

"How beautiful it seems," he said, half aloud, "after being shut up so
long below."

"Come, that's a good sign," said Poole cheerily.

"What's a good sign?" was the sharp reply.

"That you can enjoy the fresh air so much. It shows that you must be
better. Think you can hold the line if I get one ready?"

"Of course," said Fitz, rather contemptuously.

"All right, then."

Poole turned away and knelt upon the deck, laughing to himself the
while, as he thought that if a big fish were hooked the invalid would
soon find out the difference. And then the boy's fingers moved pretty
quickly as he took out his junk-knife and cut a long narrow strip from
the piece of fatty pork-rind with which the cook had supplied him.

Through one end of this he passed the point of the hook, and then
brought it back to the same side by which it had entered, so that a
strip about six inches long and one wide hung down from the barbed hook.
The next process was to unwind twenty or thirty yards of the line with
its leaden sinker, and then drop lead and bait overboard, running out
the line till the bait was left about fifty yards astern, but not to
sink far, for there was wind enough to carry the schooner along at a
pretty good pace, trailing the bait twirling round and round behind, and
bearing no small resemblance to a small, quickly-swimming fish, the
white side of the bait alternating with the dull grey of the rind, and
giving it a further appearance