“How about that, Jack?” he pleaded. “He went and shot it with the rifle, don’t you know? I don’t call that fishing, now, do you?”
“I’ve heard of people who shoot fish with a rifle, lots of times,” commented Herb, just to excite Nick a little more.
“Yes, but don’t tell me an alligator is a fish!” exclaimed Nick, in great disgust. “Why, when I was in the lower grade in school they taught us to call it just a rep-tile!”
At that a shout went up from the balance of the voyagers.
“You’ll have to settle this right on the spot, Jack,” declared George.
“Get out the articles of war and read what it says; that’s the only fair way,” remarked Herb.
So Jack deliberately took out his notebook, and in a sing-song tone, assumed for the purpose, read as he had done once before at Jimmy’s request:
“‘Each contestant shall have the liberty of fishing as often as he pleases, and the fish may be taken in any sort of manner—the one stipulation being that the capture shall be undertaken by the contestant alone and unaided; and that he must have possession of the fish long enough to show the same, and have its weight either estimated or proven.’”
“Well, here it is before ye, and riddy to be weighed!” said Jimmy, stoutly.
“But Jack, what do you say, is an alligator a fish in the true sense of the word?” demanded Nick, stubbornly.