“I never thought about bait,” exclaimed Harry. “How are we going to dig for worms without a spade?”
“Who wants any worms?” replied Tom. “Grasshoppers are the thing; and the field just back of here is full of them. Come, Joe, catch us some grasshoppers, won’t you?”
“How many do you want?” asked Joe. “I don’t want to waste good grasshoppers on fellows who won’t use them. Let’s see: suppose I get you ten grasshoppers apiece. Will that do?”
“Are you getting lazy, Joe?” said Tom, “or are you sick? A fellow who don’t want to fish must have something wrong in his insides. Harry, you’d better give him some medicine.”
“Oh, I’m all right,” replied Joe. “I’m a little sleepy to-day, but I’ll get your grasshoppers.”
Joe took an empty tin can and went in search of grasshoppers, while the rest were getting their hooks and lines ready. In a short time he returned, and handed the can to Tom. “There’s just thirty-one grasshoppers in that can,” said he. “I threw in one for good measure. Now go ahead and fish, and I’ll have a nap.” So saying, he stretched himself on the ground, and the other boys began to fish.
There were quantities of perch near the old canal-boat, and they bit ravenously at the grasshoppers. It took only about a quarter of an hour to catch nearly three dozen fish. These were more than the boys could possibly eat; and Tom was just going to remark that they had better stop fishing, when they were startled by a loud cry from Joe. Harry, in swinging his line over his head so as to cast out a long way into the river, had succeeded in hooking Joe in the right ear.
JOE IS CAUGHT.
Of course Harry was extremely sorry, and he said so several times; but, as Joe pointed out, “talk won’t pull a hook out of a fellow’s ear!” The barb made it impracticable to draw the hook out, and it was quite impossible that Joe should enjoy the cruise with a fish-hook in his ear. Jim said that the hook must be cut out; but Joe objected to having his ear cut to pieces with a dull jack-knife. In this emergency Tom proposed to break off the shank of the hook, and then to push the remainder of it through the ear. It was no easy matter, however, to break the steel. Every time the hook was touched, Joe winced with pain; but finally Tom managed to break the shank with the aid of the pair of pliers that formed part of the stores. The hook was then gently and firmly pressed through the ear, and carefully drawn out.