c under
the strain. He turned to Yorke gleefully. "By gum! old thing, I've sure
got one this time," he said, "bet you he's ten pound if he's an ounce.
Hope the line'll hold!"

Simultaneously they uttered an excited exclamation, as a huge, silvery
body darted to the surface, threshed the water for the fraction of a
second, and then dived.

"Look out!" cried Yorke. "Give him line, Red, give him line! Play him
careful now, or you'll lose him!"

The reel screeched, as Redmond let the fish run. Then--without
warning--the line slacked and the rod straightened. George, giving vent
to a dismayed oath, reeled in until the line tautened again, and the
point of the rod dipped.

"What's up?" queried Yorke, "he's still on, isn't he?"

"Yes," growled Redmond miserably, "feels as if I'm snagged though. He's
there right enough--I can feel him jumping. Damnation! That's the worst
of stringing three hooks on your leader. One of 'em's snagged on
something below, I guess. Here! hold the rod a minute, Yorkey!"

The latter complied. George unbuttoned and threw off his stable-jacket
and began taking off his boots. Yorke contemplated his comrade's actions
in speechless amazement. "Why, what the devil?--" he began--

"I'm not going to lose that fish," mumbled Redmond sulkily, as he threw
off his clothes, "I'll get him by gum! if I have to dive to the depths of
Hell."

"Say, now! don't be a fool!" cried Yorke, "that water's like ice, man!
You'll get cramped, and then the two of us'll drown. We-ll, of all the
idiots!--"

George, by this time stripped to the buff, crept gingerly to the edge of
the shelving bank. In his right hand he grasped--opened--a small
pen-knife. "Aw, quit it!" he retorted rudely, "I'll only be under a
minute--hold the line taut--straight up and down, Yorkey, so's I can see
where to dive."

He drew a deep breath, and then, with the poise of a practised swimmer,
dived--cutting the water with barely a splash. For the space of a
half-minute Yorke stared apprehensively at the swirling eddy, beneath
which the other had vanished. The line still remained taut. Then he
gave a gasp of relief, as Redmond's head re-appeared, and that young
gentleman swam to the side. Extending a hand, the senior constable
lugged his comrade to terra firma.

"That's good!" he ejaculated fervently. "D----n the fish, anyway! I
guess you couldn't make--" He broke off abruptly, and remained staring
at the dripping Georg