"Poke a hole in the water to breathe through," suggested d.i.c.k.

"Say, I guess you vos making fun!" cried Hans, suspiciously. "Maybe dare ain't no Pluicusisduster at all. Dot's-vot you call him?-Yah! He is a fish story!"

"Tom, you're discovered!" screamed Sam, and then there was a roar of laughter. Hans looked a bit sheepish, but took the fun in good part.

"Put I get square, see of I ton't!" he said, shaking his finger at Tom.

Sunday evening there was a light shower and the boys were much worried, thinking it might keep on raining. But the shower pa.s.sed by morning and the sun came out bright and clear.

"And now ho! for camp!" cried Sam "Come on, the sooner we start the better."

An early breakfast was procured, and the camping outfit, consisting of the tent, their fishing and hunting outfits, blankets and extra clothing, and a quant.i.ty of food, canned and otherwise, was loaded on the big farm wagon.

"All ready?" asked d.i.c.k.

"All ready, so far as I can see," answered Sam.

"Vait! vait!" cried Hans, "I got to get mine ear coferings!" And he ran back into the house.

"Ear coverings?" queried Tom.

"Yes," answered Fred, with a smile. "His mother made him a pair of coverings of mosquito netting, so that ants or other insects couldn't crawl into his ears while he was sleeping."

"Not such a bad idea," said d.i.c.k. "But he needed them more in the West Indies than he'll need them here."

Soon Hans appeared with his ear coverings, and then the lads said good-bye. The whip cracked, and they were off on their outing. Little did they dream of how the holidays were to come to an abrupt end.

The road along the river was a rather rough one and they had to proceed slowly, for fear of jouncing off part of the load. But the lads were in the best of spirits and as they rode along they sang and cracked jokes to their hearts' content. Tom had the last of his "doctored" cigars with him and he pa.s.sed this over to Jack Ness, and all had a hearty laugh when the hired man lit up and was treated to a dose of the "worms."

"By gum! I might have remembered about them cigars!" murmured the wagon driver. "I laffed at Ricks an' now you got the same laff on me!"

"Never mind, Jack, you buy something worth smoking, when you go to town,"

said Tom, and slyly slipped a silver quarter into the hired man's palm.

It was noon-time when they reached the spot where they could get the sailboat. This was hired from a man living in the vicinity, and that individual's wife supplied all hands with dinner, for the boys did not want to touch their stores until necessary. Then the sailboat was loaded and the boys got on board.

"We'll have to row," said d.i.c.k. "There isn't breeze enough to do any good."

"Well, rowing suits me," cried Sam, and caught up an oar and Tom did the same.

"I'll spell you after a bit," said Fred. "It is not fair to let you do all the work."

"So will I," added d.i.c.k.

"Yah, and me," nodded Hans.

"Good-bye, Jack!" cried all, and waved their hands to the hired man.

"Tell the folks not to worry-that we will be all right," added d.i.c.k.

"Have a good time!" answered Jack Ness. Then Sam and Tom started to row, and slowly the boat moved in the direction of Lake Nasco.

CHAPTER XIII HANS MUELLER'S QUEER CATCH

Lake Nasco was an irregular sheet of water, about three miles long by a quarter of a mile wide. It was not very deep, excepting at one spot near the upper end. In the center were several islands, known locally as the Cat and Kittens.

The spot the Rover boys had in mind for their camp was located near the upper sh.o.r.e, where a series of rocks ran out to the deep water. Here would be a good place for the sailboat, and here the fishing would be good and also the swimming.

The whole crowd took turns at rowing, and when the lake was reached Sam and Hans got out their fishing outfits and started to troll.

"I don't know if I can catch anything, but if I am successful, we can have fried fish for supper," said Sam.

"Yum! yum! that would just suit me!" cried Fred. "Fish just caught are so much better than those from the store."

It was not long before Sam felt a tug on his line. He hauled in quickly and found a fair-sized perch.

"Hurrah! first luck!" he cried, his face beaming with pleasure.

"Huh! dot ain't mooch of a fish!" was Han's comment. "Chust vait till you see vot I cotch!"

They continued to troll, and presently Sam hooked a medium-sized pickerel. The fish was game and he had to play it a little before d.i.c.k was able to bring it in with the net.

"Say, I guess we had better all try our luck," said Tom. "This sport suits me down to the ground."

"No, Tom, let us get to camp," replied his elder brother. "Remember, we have got to cut poles for the tent and cut firewood, and do a lot of things before we go to bed. You can fish all you please tomorrow."

The boat moved on and soon Hans got a bite. It was another perch, about the size of the one caught by Sam. Then Sam got another, but of a different stripe.

Suddenly Hans' line tightened and the German youth stood up in his excitement.

"Vait! I got a pite!" he cried. "Say, dot is a pig feller I guess!" he added.

They stopped in their rowing and watched Hans try to land his catch. He tugged on the line, which grew taut and threatened to snap.

"Play him a little, Hans," suggested d.i.c.k. And the line was let out cautiously. Then Hans commenced to reel in once more. Slowly but surely his catch came closer.

"What have you got, Hans, a maskalonge!"

"Maybe it's a whale!"

"Or a water snake!"

"Cracious, vos der vater snakes here?" questioned the German boy, turning slightly pale.

"Sure there are," answered Tom, readily. "Some of 'em are fifteen and twenty feet long."