'n't hardly fair of you, Phil, giving me all that trouble for
nothing," he was saying as he drew near, looking a little sheepish
because of his recent wild sprint.

"Excuse me, Larry," his chum replied, with becoming regret, though his
dancing eyes rather belied his humble tone; "I sure never meant to
alarm you one whit. I didn't call out because you seemed to be having
a great time with the bass; and sometimes noise stops a biting rally.
But I never thought you'd be so keen to get on to me coming along."

"Well, perhaps I wouldn't a while back, Phil, but I'm learning things
every day, you see. And besides, didn't you as much as tell me to keep
an eye out for any sort of moving thing? That's what I was adoing
right now. I saw something creeping along. The shadows are gathering
back there under the trees, and I couldn't make out in that one peek
what it was. I just cut and run as the safest way."

"And I guess you were right," said Phil. "It might have been a hungry
panther wanting to make a meal on you. You know, I always said that if
any wild beast was prowling around in search of a supper, he'd pick you
out, first pop. That's because you're such a nice, plump morsel."

"Oh, rats! don't make me blush, Phil. Then, if I had to stay down in
these diggings long, I'd sure make it a point to lost some weight. It
ain't exactly pleasant you see, knowing that even the wild critters are
having their mouths water at sight of you. But look at that big bass I
yanked in, would you? Must weigh all of six pounds, and enough for our
supper alone."

"Did he pull hard?" asked the other, stooping to notice the gasping
fish, and to also strike the prize a sharp blow back of the head that
immediately killed it; for Phil was a humane disciple of Izaak Walton,
and believed in putting even his captures out of suffering immediately,
which is a point for all Boy Scouts to heed.

"Well, for just the first few seconds, yes; and then he seemed to come
in like a log, with his big mouth open. Not so much game about him
after all. Say, I hope now, Phil, he ain't sick! I'd just hate to
have all our supper go to waste that way!"

The other laughed aloud.

"Bless you, Larry!" he exclaimed, "this fish is all right, and as fit
to eat as anything. It's just a way they have down here, where the
water is always warm. If that same fish had lived in the cold streams
up North you'd have had the time of your life getting him ashore with