They had no watch amongst them but Charley possessed the not uncommon gift of being able to wake at any hour he desired. When he awoke he satisfied himself by a glance at the stars that he was not mistaken in the hour and then aroused his companions.
As the time was short before daylight, they ran but a little way from the dock before anchoring the launch and taking to the boats.
They had hardly got fairly started with the skiffs when Charley called a halt.
"See anything over where you are, Walt?" he called.
"Yes," shouted back his chum, eagerly, "the water is alive with fish of some kind."
"Same here," Charley stated, "but I can't make out just what they are. They are not catfish, and yet, they don't fire just like mullet. Let's try them with just a little piece of our nets and see what they are before we make a big circle."
They had run out but a few yards of net when he gave the signal to close up. "We will not drum up any," he said, as he halted his boat just inside the little circle. "We will get enough in the nets, without, to tell what they are and will not frighten the rest of the school."
A few minutes sufficed to pick up the few yards of net they had out. Charley scanned his puzzledly as it came inboard. It contained no fish but was filled with great gaping holes here and there.
"Not a scale," he announced, disgustedly. "Did you fellows get anything?"