ht-cap was called, was hauled on
board dripping, and containing something splashing, flapping, and full
of life.

"There's something for you to look at, my lads," cried the bluff master
smiling. "Let out that draw string, Josh."

The whole of the net was now on the deck, the water streaming from it
out at the side; and after Josh had unfastened the string which laced up
the small end or bunt, the little crew took hold of the net above the
pockets, and by giving it a series of shakes sent the whole of its
contents out upon the deck. The net was then drawn away, the bunt
fastened up, the end thrown over, and the trawl-beam took all down to
scrape once more over the sands and scoop-out the soles and other
flat-fish that are so fond of scuffling themselves down in the soft oozy
sand, flapping their side-fins about till they are half covered, and
very often letting the trawl-rope pass right over their backs.

A good many had, however, failed to be successful this time, for there
was a great patch of the deck covered with the contents of the net.

"I never saw such a sight in my life," cried Dick; and then he burst
into a roar of laughter as his brother tried to pick up a large sole,
which seemed to give a spring and a flap, and darted out of his hands.

It was a sight, certainly; and the master good-humouredly let the men
stand aside for a while so that the boys might have a good inspection of
the haul before clearance was made.

"Overboard with the rubbish, my lads," he said, "then you can see
better."

But the rubbish, a great deal of it, was what Dick and his brother would
have liked to keep, as much of it consisted of pieces of heavy black
wood pierced by teredo and covered with barnacles. There were curious
stones, too, and pieces of weed, all of which had to go overboard
though, and then, as Dick called it, the fun began.

It was a good haul. And first and foremost there was a magnificent
turbot--a huge round fellow, with his white waistcoat, and mouth awry,
apparently, though it was normally placed, and the creature's eyes, like
those of the rest of the flat-fish, were screwed round to one side of
its head.

Then there was a brill, like the turbot's small first cousin, and a
young turbot that might have been its son. There were a dozen or so of
plaice, large and small, and, flipping and flapping and gasping, some
five-and-twenty soles, from fine fat fellows fifteen inches long to
little tiny slips that