“Mine’s gone too,” cried Panton, who had followed suit, and directly after Drew found that his bait was also gone.
Fresh baits were put on, and they threw into the rushing water again, watching their lines as they were swept to and fro by the coming and retiring waves.
“Seems as if there only was one fish, Lane,” said Panton, “and you’ve given him such a dose of hook and lead, that he has gone for good.”
The words were hardly out of the young geologist’s lips, before he felt a sharp tug.
“Here’s one!” he cried, and beginning to haul in fast, he soon had a bright silvery fish of eight or ten pounds’ weight splashing and darting about at the top of the water.
“Dinner for one,” said Drew.
“Good for half a dozen, I should say,” cried the mate, laughing. “That’s right, sir, don’t stop to play him. Haul him in quick.”
“Murder!” cried Panton. “Look at that.”
For as he was drawing in the fast tiring fish level with the surface, there was a sudden gleam of gold, silver, and green, a rush and a check, as a long twining creature suddenly seized the fish, and quick as lightning, wrapped itself round and round it in a knot, doubling the weight, and adding to the resistance by lashing round and round with a flattened tail, whose effect was like that of a screw propeller reversed.
“Eel! Snake! Whatever is it?” came from different voices, as Panton ceased dragging on his fish.