But at last the boat was put out into deep water, the sails were lowered, and the anchor down, while the three boys, posting themselves in convenient places in the after-part of the boat, threw out their lines as far as they could.
There was quite a strong current at this point, and this helped to carry the lines out to their full length.
Adam did not fish. In the first place he was willing to hold himself ready to direct and assist the boys, and in the second place he had no fishing lines.
“What is a channel-bass?” asked Phil. “I don’t think I ever heard of them.”
“Well,” said Adam, “it’s a kind of bass that swims in the channel of this river, and that’s pretty much all there is about it.”
“Is it a large fish, or a small one?” asked Chap.
Adam was not inclined to give the boys any information on the subject. He wanted them to find out for themselves what a channel-bass was.
“Whatever they are,” said Phœnix, after a time, “they seem to be pretty scarce; I haven’t had a bite yet.”
“Nor I either,” said both Chap and Phil.
“They ain’t packed in the river like sardines in a box,” said Adam, “but I reckon one of ’em will come along after a while.”