won't. I'll say I wanted to
fish;" and snatching at this idea he ran down to the boat, got in, and
arranging the line, gave the lead a swing and threw it seaward, so that
it should fall in the deep channel among the rocks, where there was not
the slightest likelihood of his getting a fish.

But it requires some skill to throw out lead attached to a fishing-line,
especially when there are ten or twelve feet of line between the lead
and the hook.

Hence it was then that when Arthur Temple swung the lead to and fro, and
finally let it go seaward, there was a sharp tug and a splash, the lead
falling into the water about a couple of yards from the stern, and the
hook sticking tightly in the gunwale of the boat.

"Bother!" exclaimed Arthur angrily as he proceeded to haul the lead in,
and then to extricate the hook, whose bait wanted rearranging, while the
hook itself was a good deal opened out in drawing it from the wood.

He got all right at last, screwing up his face a good deal at having to
replace the bait, and then stopping to wash his hands very carefully and
wipe them upon his pocket-handkerchief. This done, he smelt his
fingers.

"Pah!" he ejaculated; and he proceeded to wash and wipe them again
before rearranging the line; and then after swinging the lead to and fro
four or five times, he let it go, giving it a tremendous jerk, which
recoiled so upon his frame, and caused the boat to swerve so much, that
he nearly fell overboard, and only saved himself by throwing himself
down and catching at the thwarts.

"Bother the beastly, abominable old boat!" he cried angrily as he
scrambled up, and with all the pettishness of a spoiled child, kicked
the side with all his might, a satisfactory proceeding which resulted in
the wood giving forth a hollow sound, and a painful sensation arising
from an injured toe.

He felt a little better, though, after getting rid of this touch of
spite, and he smiled with satisfaction, too, for the lead had descended
some distance off in the water, and with a self-complacent smile Arthur
Temple sat down on the edge of the boat and waited for a bite.

"This is better than getting wet and dirty in that cavern," he said.
"It's warm and sunshiny, and old Dick will be as savage as savage if he
finds that I've caught three or four good fish before he comes. Was
that a touch?"

It did not seem to be, so Arthur sat patiently on waiting for the bite,
and sometimes looking over the side, wh