ds grew nearer, and then stopped.
The silence only lasted a minute, and then plainly enough came a
familiar voice.

"I thought it was just here. Now, where have they got themselves to?"

Then the rustling was continued, and Nat came into sight.

The boys glanced sharply at the place where the water flowed, but there
was nothing now but a feeble trickle, not likely to excite attention.

"Oh, there you are, Master Scarlett! Well, how many have you caught?"

"Not one, Nat," cried Fred, sharply.

"You don't put your lines in the right places, lads. Where are they
now?"

"Not going to tell you," replied Fred, sharply. "There, hear that?
Didn't some one call?"

"No," cried Nat; "I didn't hear nobody. Show me where your lines are
laid. Aren't put any down here, have you?"

"No; it wouldn't be any use."

"I should think not. Why, if you hooked an eel, he'd run in and out
among the dead wood and roots till your lines would be all tangled
together, and you'd lose them."

"Will you come and show us a good place, then, Nat?" said Fred, for
Scarlett was a little puzzled as to what was going on.

"Yes; I'll show you," said the gardener, who, like most of his class,
was as much interested in the chance of a little fishing as the boys
themselves. So, swinging himself into the boat, he took the oars, and,
to the great relief of the two lads, rowed right away towards where a
little rivulet entered the lake.

"Glad I saw what you were both going to do," continued Nat. "Only waste
of time muddling in there among the wood. You might catch a few perch
or an old carp, but that would be about all."

Ten minutes later he ceased rowing in front of the mouth of the rivulet.

"There," he said; "set your lines about here, and you'll catch as many
as you want, and--breakfast-time. Let's get ashore."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

THE COLONEL'S MESSAGE.

No farther visit was paid to the passage that day; but the next, in the
afternoon, the boys made their way down toward the lake, and met Nat,
who approached them with rather a mysterious look on his face.

"What's the matter?" asked Scarlett.

"Ah, that's what I want to know, sir. You didn't hear it, of course,
because you were out in the boat."

"Hear what?"

"Oh, I don't know, sir," said the gardener, mysteriously. "I've just
come from the kitchen, where the servants was talking about it."

"About what?"

"It, sir, it; I don't know what it is. I told 'em it was h