FRANK'S NEW FLOAT FOR PIKE-FISHING. 219 



day. Besides eels they contained a quantity of miscellaneous 

 matter, such as a dead dog, sticks, weeds, old boots, a bottle 

 or two, and various other refuse which the stream had brought 

 down. 



The eels had been put overnight in the well of the boat, and 

 now the men proceeded to sort them, separating the big ones 

 (for which they received a larger price) from the small ones. 



In order to do this they constantly dipped their hands in 

 sand, for the eels were slippery customers. 



The rain had ceased, but the day was dull and dreary, and 

 the Swan sailed home early, her crew satisfied with the glimpse 

 they had had of how eels were caught for profit. 



In the afternoon they sailed about the broad in order to try 

 a new float which Frank had invented for pike-fishing. They 

 had been accustomed to trail their spinning baits after the 

 yacht as they sailed about, but the wake left by the yacht 

 generally disturbed the fish, so that they had to let out a very 

 long line before they could catch anything, and the line then 

 became fouled in the weeds. Now Frank had invented a float 

 which did away with this drawback. You may have noticed 

 how, when towing a boat with the tow-rope fastened a few feet 

 from the bows, she will sheer out from you. It occurred to 

 Frank to adapt the same principle to a float, so he cut a piece 

 of deal a quarter of an inch thick, eight inches long, and four 

 wide, pointed at both ends. To one side of this he attached 

 a keel four inches deep, leaded alo- g the bottom. This side 

 was painted green, and the other white. To a point about one- 

 third of the way from one end of this float was attached a 

 rough line. To the other was fastened a shorter length of line 

 with a spinning trace attached. When this float was laid in the 

 water with the keel side undermost, and set in motion, it 

 sheered out, and as the yacht sailed along and the reel line was 

 payed out, the float swam along in a parallel course with the 

 yacht, and as far out as they chose to let out line. It then 

 passed over undisturbed water, and a great change was soon 

 observed in the increased number of pike taken by the help of 

 this float. They christened it the " Merivale float," and they 

 were so pleased with its success as to have a dim idea of taking 

 out a patent for it. 



