It came up after this first cast with about a hundred shrimps—of the large kind called prawn in the North—in it. The boys opened their eyes in surprise, and Ned cast again, bringing up this time about twice as many as before.
"They have hardly begun to come in yet," said Ned. "The tide is too young."
"Hardly begun to come in?" said Jack, "why, the water's alive with them. Let me throw the net."
"Certainly," said Ned, "if you know how."
"Know how? Why, there's no knack in that; anybody can do it."
With this confident boast Jack took the net and gave a violent cast. Neglecting to relax the rope at the right moment, however, the confident young gentleman made trouble for himself. The lead line swung around rapidly, the net wrapped itself around Jack, and the leaden balls struck him with sufficient violence to hurt. He lost his balance at the same instant, and, his legs being held close together by the wet net, he could not step out to recover himself. The result was that he fell sprawling into the water and was fished out in a very wet condition by his companions.
Jack was a boy capable of seeing the fun even in an accident of which he was the victim. He stood still while the net was unwound, and for a moment afterward. Then, seeing that the other boys were too considerate to laugh at him while in trouble, he quietly said:
"I told you I could do it."
"Well, you caught more in the net than I did," said Ned. "Now take hold again and I'll show you how to manage it. Your wet clothes won't hurt you. Sea-water doesn't give one cold."
A few lessons made Jack fairly expert in casting, but Charley had no mind to court mishaps, and would not try his skill. The pail was soon well filled with shrimps, and the boys returned to the boat house, where Jack changed his wet clothes for dry ones.