THE DISAPPEARING ISLAND. 149 



one long arm seized the grains, then slowly and 

 carefully turned it in the direction of the wake 

 of the boat. Now he gave two or three turns 

 to the oar, shooting the dinghy ahead again ; 

 then, with a movement so quick that Tom could 

 hardly believe it possible in any one so long and 

 slow, he hurled the grains at some object ten 

 feet away. The pole came out of the grains- 

 socket, while the line whizzed through the water, 

 cutting it like a knife. A second later a mag- 

 nificent fish, four feet in length, dashed out of 

 the water, shaking itself violently in a desperate 

 effort to throw off the steel barbs that impaled 

 it. Long John held the line, and it fairly 

 whistled through his fingers as the gamy fish 

 darted this way and that. Now slacking when a 

 vicious rush came, and playing it with marvelous 

 skill, he soon brought it alongside, and with a 

 quick grasp jerked it into the boat, a shout from 

 Tom testifying his appreciation of the skillful 

 capture. 



" I'd give a good deal if I could do that," 

 he said, looking with admiring eyes on the 

 beauty. 



