“Can we get another one, do you think?” asked Bart, who was anxious to try his luck.
“Perhaps, although a big pike like this usually keeps his territory to himself. More than likely his home was under yonder overhanging tree.”
This time Bart took the spear and Link the bait, and nearly half an hour went by. But then a pike larger than the first appeared.
“Oh, my, what a chance!” murmured Link. “Now, Bart, don’t miss him!”
“I’ll do my best,” answered Bart, who was quivering with excitement.
All of the others were interested and drew around the hole hardly daring to breathe. Three times the pike came fairly close and then swam away. Once he passed directly across the opening, but so swiftly that Bart did not take the chance to hit him.
“He has gone,” said Fred, after a few minutes more had passed, but just as he spoke the pike reappeared and came up directly under the hole, where he began to turn around.
“Now!” cried old Runnell, and down went the spear, in something of a sideway fashion. But it passed through the pike near the tail, and with a whirl and a great splashing, he came up to the surface and out of the hole.
“Hurrah, you’ve got him!” cried Link, as he wiped the cold water from his face. “Say, he gave me a regular shower bath, didn’t he?”
“Oh, you mustn’t mind that,” put in Fred. “Why such a pike as that is worth a dip into the lake.”