"Here's the first one," Cummings said triumphantly, as he swung on shore a fish weighing about three pounds. "If we find many such there won't be any danger of suffering from hunger."
The boys seized the flapping evidence of Cummings' skill as an angler, and hurried to the entrance in order to examine it more closely.
In shape it was similar to a brook trout; but instead of being spotted had black scales as large as one's thumb nail, and not until it had been scrutinized carefully was anything seen to betoken the presence of organs of sight. Then Jake pointed out two slight depressions near the end of the upper jaw, which were protected and nearly covered by a cartilaginous substance extending entirely across the head something after the fashion of a hood.
"I don't wonder he had to try a long while before catching this fellow," Teddy said with a laugh. "A fish that has such poor apologies for eyes can't be expected to see bait very quickly."
"It isn't likely they can see anything, and if these small specks are eyes they've probably only been put on as ornaments."
At this point Jake, regardless of the fact that he should have been listening intently at the aperture, began what was evidently about to be a long dissertation on the subject of a fish being able to smell while in the water, and to prevent him from neglecting his duties as sentinel, the boys went back to the stream, arriving there just as Cummings landed a second prize.
At the end of an hour four fish, aggregating in weight not less than ten pounds, were on the bank, and it was decided that no more should be caught.
"We've got food enough to last us during twenty-four hours," Cummings said, "and it would be a waste of time to fish any longer."
"When are we to cook them?" Teddy asked.
"That is a job which must be left for Poyor. He can do it better than either of us, and, since there are none of the enemy in the immediate vicinity, I fancy we may count on having these for the next meal."