"Now, you youngsters, save all the fish you catch, and Freitag and I'll come over and fetch 'em back."
"All right, Jonas; we'll have a big load for you."
Mr. Bernard gave them numerous cautions; and, promising to remember them, the boys hurried away, laden with baskets of lunch, fishing-rods, and bait.
They were in high spirits, and Mr. Bernard could hear them, long after they were out of sight, singing, "Cheer, boys, cheer."
"This is something like--don't you say so, boys? It seems good to be our own masters. I'm sick of hearing 'Don't do this,' and 'You'd better not do that.' It spoils all the fun of camping out."
"Well, Walt, we are free for once. Let's enjoy our liberty, and not grumble," said Joe.
They made a second breakfast of blueberries on the way, and arrived at the fishing-place in the best of spirits.
They found the sport, as John had told them, the liveliest kind imaginable; and all were soon engaged with hook and line.
The tide was quite low, but coming in steadily, and they found it necessary to retreat before it continually. Sometimes the advancing waves would overtake them in their eagerness for one more bite, and as a result it was necessary now and then to remove their rubber boots and empty out the water.
"I guess there'll be more fish than Jonas and his man Friday will want to carry," said Dave, as he began to gather the fish from the rocks to put them in the basket. "Let's have a lunch."