"What! Dan'l has?"

"Yes; gone to see a friend who's a gardener over at Champney Ryle, to buy some seeds."

It was like the announcement of a holiday, and leaving the groom making the usual long stretches with his broom, Dexter went on aimlessly to the river-side, where, for the first time for many months, he found Bob Dimsted fishing.

"Hullo, old un!" was the latter's greeting, "how are you!"

Dexter gave the required information, and hesitated for a few moments, something in the way of a collection of Helen's warnings coming vaguely to his hand; but the volunteered information of the boy on the other side of the river, that he had got some "glorious red wums," and that the fish were well on the feed, drove everything else away, and in a few minutes Dexter was sitting upon the crown of a willow pollard, ten feet out over the river, that much nearer to the fisher, and in earnest conversation with him as he watched his float.

Once more the memory of words that had been spoken to him came to Dexter, but the bobbing of the float, and the excitement of capturing a fish, drove the thoughts away--the fascination of the fishing, and the pleasant excitement of meeting a companion of near his own age, cut off, as he was, from the society of boys, being too much for him; and he was soon eagerly listening, and replying to all that was said.

"Ever go fishing in a boat?" said Bob, after a time.

"No."

"Ah! you should go in a boat," said Bob. "You sit down comfortable, with your feet all dry, and you can float over all the deep holes and best places in the river, and catch all the big fish. It's lovely!"

"Did you ever fish out of a boat?" asked Dexter.

"Did I ever fish out of a boat? Ha! ha! ha! Lots of times. I'm going to get a boat some day, and have a saucepan and kettle and plate and spoon, and take my fishing-tackle, and then I shall get a gun or a pistol, and go off down the river."

"What for!"

"What for? Why, to live like that, catching fish, and shooting wild ducks and geese, and cooking 'em, and eating 'em. Then you have a 'paulin and spread it over the boat of a night, and sleep under it--and there you are!"

Dexter looked at the adventurous being before him in wonder, while he fished on and talked.

"I should make myself a sail, too, and then I shouldn't have to row so much; and then I could go right on down to the end of the river, and sail away to foreign countries, and shoot all kinds of wonderful things.

And then you could land sometimes and kill snakes, and make yourself a hut to live in, and do just as you liked. Ah, that is a fine life!"

"Yes," said Dexter, whose eager young mind rapidly painted an ill.u.s.tration to everything his companion described.

"A man I know has been to sea, and he says sometimes you come to places where there's nothing but mackerel, and you can almost ladle 'em out with your hands. I should boil 'em over a fire. They are good then."

Dexter's eyes grew more round.

"Then out at sea you have long lines, and you catch big cod-fish, and soles almost as big as the boat."

"And are you going to have a boat?"

"To be sure I am. I get tired of always coming out to catch little roach and dace and eels. I mean to go soon."

Dexter sighed.

"That man says when you go far enough away, you come to islands where the cocoa-nuts grow; and then, all you've got to do is go ash.o.r.e and pull your boat up on the sands, and when you are hungry you climb a tree and get a cocoa-nut; and every one has got enough meat and drink in it for a meal."

"Do you?"

"Yerrrs! That you do. That's the sort of place to go and live at. I'm tired o' Coleby."

"Why don't you go and live there, then!" said Dexter.

"I'm going to, some day. It's no use to be in too much of a hurry; I want to save a little money first, and get some more tackle. You see, you want big hooks for big fish, and some long lines. Then you must have a boat."

The idea of the unknown countries made Dexter thrill, and he listened eagerly as the boy went on prosing away while he fished, taking out his line from time to time, and dropping the bait in likely places.

"Haven't made up my mind what boat I shall have yet, only it must be a good one."

"Yes," said Dexter; "you'd want a good big boat."

"Not such a very big un," said Bob. "I should want a nice un with cushions, because you'd have to sit in it so long."

"And sleep in it too?"

"Oh yes; you'd have to sleep in it."

"Should you light the fire, and cook in it!" said Dexter innocently.

"Yah! No, o' course not. You'd go ash.o.r.e every time you wanted to cook, and light a fire there with a burnin'-gla.s.s."

"But suppose the sun didn't shine!"

"Sun always shines out there," said Bob. "That sailor chap told me, and the birds are all sorts of colours, and the fish too, like you see in gla.s.s globes. I mean to go."

"When shall you go?"

"Oh, some day when I'm ready. I know of a jolly boat as would just do."

"Do you?"

"Yes; I dessay you've seen it. Belongs to Danby's, down the river.

Lives in a boat-house."

"Yes, I've seen it," said Dexter eagerly. "It is a beauty!"

"Well, that's the sort of boat I mean to have. P'r'aps I shall have that."

"You couldn't have that," cried Dexter.

"Why not? They never use it, not more'n twice a year. Dessay they'd lend it."

"That they wouldn't," cried Dexter.

"Well, then, I should borrow it, and bring it back when I'd done with it. What games you could have with a boat like that!"

"Yes," sighed Dexter; "wish we had one!"

"Wouldn't be such a good one as that if you had. That's just the boat I've made up my mind to have."