HOOKED ! 289 



Just then an exclamation came from the 

 mate, who had been lying all this time in a 

 trying position. " Hope to Heaven he'll start 

 soon ! I'm almost dead." 



As soon as the new bait was dropped 

 towards him his eyes snapped. He was only 

 a few inches under water now, and was very 

 uneasy. As the bait was drawn back slowly 

 and just entering the bowline, he whipped 

 over on his back and rushed to his doom, for 

 as soon as his head had passed the bite of the 

 rope in the water the bow was dropped, the 

 standing part caught up by the mate, and he 

 was fastened behind the jaws. 



" Seize the rope quickly and set back on 

 it. Hold for your lives ! " said the mate. 



The boys didn't want any encouragement, 

 for they started in with a seaman's chorus 

 " Tally I.O.TL know." That helped our pur- 

 chase (ropeyarn over a spike) not a patent 

 by any means, for the weight of that monster 

 cut right into the wood. Yet come he had 

 to. The water behind the vessel was threshed 

 into foam, as he resisted, with his immense 

 tail, the friendly treatment he was receiving. 

 It was 9 feet from the water to the top of the 



u 



