“Now pull!” he cried, and both he and Mr. Bobbsey did this.
Up out of the blue sea rose something in the net. And as the sun shone on the glistening sides Freddie, peering from the porthole beside the engineer, cried:
“Oh, it’s a fish! It’s a big fish!”
And indeed it was, a flapping fish, of large size, the silver scales of which shone brightly in the sun.
“Pull!” cried the captain to Mr. Bobbsey, and a few seconds later the fish lay flapping on deck.
Up from below came Freddie, greatly excited, followed by his mother, Nan, Flossie and Mr. Chase, Flossie chanting loudly: “Freddie caught a fish! Freddie caught a fish!”
“Didn’t I tell you I caught a fish?” cried the little boy, his blue eyes shining with excitement.
“You certainly did,” his father answered. “But how did you do it, little fat fireman?”
“Well, Captain Crane gave me the fishline,” Freddie answered.
“Yes, I did,” the captain said. “He begged me for one and I let him take it. I didn’t think he could do any harm, as I didn’t let him take any sharp hooks—or any hooks, in fact.”