iled-up filmy brown
net, lying in a clumsy heap, so it seemed, but really in carefully
laid-out folds, with every rope in place ready for the work to be done.

Uncle Abram's boat was allowed to drift with the current as its three
occupants watched the proceedings, Will with the more interest that his
uncle had a share in the seine, that is to say, he found so many score
yards of which its length was composed, and consequently would take his
proportion of the profits if the mackerel were caught.

"She's going right for the sands," cried Josh excitedly. "They'll have
a fine haul. See 'em, lad--see 'em?"

"Yes, I can see the dark ripple of the water gradually going along,"
said Dick eagerly. "Oh, I do wish we were nearer!"

"You'll be near enough, lad, when the seine gets to work. Perhaps we
shall have to be farther away. Look at 'em; how pretty they come! And
you, Will, are always thinking about mines, and stones, and holes in the
earth, when you've got a sight like that before you, boy. Eh! but I'm
ashamed of you!"

Will laughed and stood watching the school, and answering Dick's
questions.

"What are they going to do? Wait and you'll see."

"Oh, no! the fish don't run their heads through these nets and get
caught by the gills. Those are drift-nets. This is a seine, and made
with smaller meshes. It's stronger, too, and has a rope top and bottom.
Now, look, they're getting close enough in. They daren't go any nearer
for fear of frightening the fish. Now, see, they're beginning to shoot
the net."

For the first time Dick saw that there was a little boat with the big
one, and that this little boat had two men in it, who seemed to be
stopping in one place, while the big boat was being rowed away from
them. Then over the stern a couple of men were passing what seemed to
be an enormous brown rope, which they kept shaking as it went over and
down into the sea, sinking at once all but what looked like a row of
dots on the water right away to the little boat, which now seemed to be
connected with the big one by the row of dots.

"That's the seine-net they're shooting overboard," said Will. "It has
corks all along the top, and these keep the top edge level with the
water, while all the rest sinks right down to the bottom. It's shallow
enough over the sands here for the net to touch the bottom."

"I see!" cried Dick excitedly. "And they are going to row right round
the shoal of fish and make a regular f