Bart was exasperated.
“What a stupid fellow I am!” he growled. “But that fish was so big! He was too large for a perch, and——”
Frank was drawing in his line to give it another throw. All at once, it gave a jerk and slipped through his fingers, then he began to pull away hand over hand, while the line cut here and there through the water.
“You have one!” cried Bart, excitedly. “Don’t let him get away as I did, Merry! Jingoes! but he is doing some fancy dodging!”
Up to the surface darted the fish and up into the air he leaped like a flash of light out of the water.
“Oh!” shouted Hodge, starting to rise in his excitement. “What a dandy!”
“Get down!” commanded Frank, quickly. “You will have this canoe bottom up if you do that again! It’s a wonder you didn’t turn her over then!”
“That’s so,” agreed Bart, who was familiar with the cranky tricks of canoes; “but I couldn’t keep still.”
Into the canoe Frank pulled his catch, and both lads stared at the fish, for it was larger than four of the large ones of their first lot.
“Can that be a white perch?” gurgled Hodge, amazed. “It doesn’t look just like the others.”