"Think they'll turn back, Mr Rimmer?" said Oliver, after a few minutes'

relief from the mental strain.

"I'm sure they will, sir," said the mate, harshly, "if you will persist in talking."

Smith gave his mouth a pat with his open hand, and winked at Wriggs, while the mate went on more softly,--

"You do not consider how sound is carried over the water. There! did you hear the creaking of their bamboo mast and the crackling of the matting sail?"

These sounds were clear enough for a few moments, but the boom of the breakers smothered them directly, and the party lay watching the canoe as it glided on rapidly south till it was quite evident there was no intention of landing, the savages shaping their course so as to pa.s.s round the great point a mile or two distant, and as if meaning to make for the west.

Then by degrees the long, slight vessel with its matting sail grew more and more indistinct as it pa.s.sed into the silvery haze caused by the waves breaking upon the reef; but not until he felt perfectly certain that they were safe, did the mate give the word for the fishing to begin again.

"This puts another face upon our position, gentlemen," he said. "They did not see us this time, but once they know that there is a vessel ash.o.r.e inland, they'll be after it like wasps at a plum, and we shall have our work cut out to keep them off."

"They must come from the sh.o.r.e north of the volcano," said Lane. "Don't you think so, Mr Rimmer?"

"No, sir, I don't, because I fancy that this must be an island, and if it is, and plays up such games as we have seen, no savages would stay upon it. But we shall see as soon as we have had our expedition."

"Which we ought to have been having to-day," said Panton, "instead of coming fishing."

"If we had been up north to-day, those gentlemen might have seen us,"

said the mate.

"And if they had," said Drew, who was holding his hook for one of the men to bait, "it strikes me that we should have had no more fishing."

"Well, as we have come fishing, gentlemen, let's see if we can't take back a good bagful for the hungry lads at the brig."

"Ready for another go, Mr Lane, sir?" said Smith.

"Oh, yes, I'm ready, but we don't want such a big one this time,"

replied Oliver, and once more he threw in the lead, a fresh one, for the great fish they had hooked had broken away, carrying with it hooks, snooding, and all.

Three lines were soon in now, and the party of fishers waited full of expectancy for the first bite, but for some time there was no sign.

"Haul in, sir, and let's see if the bait's all right," said Smith.

Oliver followed the suggestion, and dragged in the hook perfectly bare.

"Something's had that," he said.

"Mine's gone too," cried Panton, who had followed suit, and directly after Drew found that his bait was also gone.

Fresh baits were put on, and they threw into the rushing water again, watching their lines as they were swept to and fro by the coming and retiring waves.

"Seems as if there only was one fish, Lane," said Panton, "and you've given him such a dose of hook and lead, that he has gone for good."

The words were hardly out of the young geologist's lips, before he felt a sharp tug.

"Here's one!" he cried, and beginning to haul in fast, he soon had a bright silvery fish of eight or ten pounds' weight splashing and darting about at the top of the water.

"Dinner for one," said Drew.

"Good for half a dozen, I should say," cried the mate, laughing.

"That's right, sir, don't stop to play him. Haul him in quick."

"Murder!" cried Panton. "Look at that."

For as he was drawing in the fast tiring fish level with the surface, there was a sudden gleam of gold, silver, and green, a rush and a check, as a long twining creature suddenly seized the fish, and quick as lightning, wrapped itself round and round it in a knot, doubling the weight, and adding to the resistance by lashing round and round with a flattened tail, whose effect was like that of a screw propeller reversed.

"Eel! Snake! Whatever is it?" came from different voices, as Panton ceased dragging on his fish.

"Go on! Have him out," cried the mate.

"No, no, steady," said Oliver. "I think it's a sea snake, and I believe that some of these creatures are poisonous."

"But it wouldn't bite out of water," cried Drew.

"I wouldn't chance it," said Oliver. "Shake and jerk your line, and it may let go."

Panton followed the advice, and after a few sharp s.n.a.t.c.hes he shook off the creature, but the fish was gone as well.

"Taken the hook?" asked the mate.

"No, that's all right."

"I've got one," cried Drew, and a fresh struggle began, while Panton was busied in rebaiting. A few moments later, a bright golden-striped fish was at the top of the water. "Look here, this is something like. I mean to--Oh!"

For just as he had his captive about twenty feet from where he stood, a great wide-jawed sharkish-looking creature sprang out of the water, describing an arc, seized Drew's fish, and was gone.

"Oh, I say," he cried, "we shall never get a dinner like this."

"Follow my example," said Oliver quietly. "I have one now, a heavy one, too. Nothing like the first I got hold of though," he continued as he hauled away. "But it's a fine fellow."

"Haul in as quickly as you can," said the mate. "Don't lose this one."

"Just what I am doing," said Oliver between his teeth, as he hauled away rapidly, and soon had the head of another of the silvery fishes above water. "Now, Smith, be ready. Eh? Well, you, Mr Rimmer, with that hook. Now then, gaff him."

"Gaffed," said the mate, for instantaneously there was another rush in the water, a splash, and Oliver drew out the head of his prize, the rest having been bitten off as cleanly as a pair of scissors would go through a sprat, just below its gills.

The young man turned a comically chagrined face to his unfortunate companions.

"I say, this is fishing with a vengeance," cried Panton.

"Starvation sport," said the mate.

"Tommy, old lad," whispered Wriggs, "I have gone fishing as a boy, and ketched all manner o' things, heels, gudgeons, roach and dace, and one day I ketched a 'normous jack, as weighed almost a pound. I ketched him with a wurrum, I did, but I never seed no fishing like this here."

"n.o.body never said you did, mate," growled Smith.