In a few minutes Rob, having found a longish pole in the grass near by, had hurriedly bound with a piece of cod-line the three large hooks at the end so that they made a gang or gaff. Taking this, and rolling up his trousers high as he could, he waded into the shallow, ice-cold water.
“Where are they now?” he asked of the others, who remained on the bank.
“There they come—there’s a school coming now!” cried Jesse.
All at once Rob could see the surface of the water below him just barely moving in low, silvery ripples as though a faint wind touched it. A sort of metallic lustre seemed to hang above the water—the reflection from the bright scales of the many fish swimming close to the surface. Presently, as he looked into the water directly at his feet, he could see scores of large, ghostly looking creatures, pale green or silvery, passing slowly by him, some of them so close as almost to touch his legs as he stood motionless. Once or twice he struck with his gaff, but the quick motions of the fish foiled him; and it looked as though the boys would wait some time for their breakfast, after all. At last, however, he waded closer to the shore and half hid behind a bush, extending his gaff in front of him with the hooks resting on the bottom.
“Now, drive them over this way—throw in some stones,” he directed.
The others did as he said, and all at once Rob saw the water directly in front of him full of a mass of confused fish. A quick jerk, and he had a fine, fat fish fast, and the next instant it was flopping on the bank, while all three of them fell upon it with eager cries.
“Now another!” said Rob. “They may not be running all day.”
He returned to his hiding-place near the bush, and thus in a few minutes he had secured a half-dozen splendid fish.
“That will do for now,” said he. “What do you think of the chance for breakfast now, Mister John?”
John grinned happily. He already had a couple of the fish nicely cleaned.