“A whopper!” gasped Chet. “I can hardly pull him in.”
The other boys watched his efforts, their eyes bulging. Chet was struggling with all his might and although he was gradually drawing in his line, there seemed to be a tremendous weight on the end of it.
“Must be a whale!” grunted Chet. “Ah—here he comes!”
He drew in his prize. It rose above the surface of the water. Chet stared at it in disgust.
The “fish” was nothing more than a very battered pail. Chet’s hook had somehow caught the handle. Full of water and mud, the pail had almost broken the stout line by its weight.
Joe and Biff whooped with laughter. Joe gave the pail a kick that sent it back into the water again.
“Some fish!” yelled Joe.
“It wasn’t a whale. It was a pail!”
Chet glared at his companions.
“I’ll show you!” he said.