Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island — What the Trawl Brought Forth
WHAT THE TRAWL BROUGHT FORTH
Superbly equipped in various misfits of cast-off fishing clothes abandoned by former visitors to the island, and some of Fred’s outgrown trousers, the four boys, shod in rubber boots, could hardly wait for Mose to finish serving the breakfast the morning after the setting of the trawl.
Captain Ed and Mr. Remington were found at the float-stage employed in seeing that the boat was all ready for the trip.
The boys soon joined them and all piled into the big rowboat and pulled away from shore.
The tide was running down so they began at the north end of the trawl and soon found the floating buoy.
Fred began hauling in the line while the three younger boys craned their necks far over the side of the boat to see the first hook appear.
“Gee!
There’s somethin’ on it!
” screamed Dudley, excitedly.
In his mad endeavour to crowd Dudley from his vantage point, Paul caught the toe of his boot in the thwart of the boat and stumbled, receiving a flabby skate plumb in his face, as the fish was swung inboard at the end of the short line.
But no one had time to console the sputtering Paul, nor indeed, did he complain of the mishap, as the next hook was about to appear above the surface of the water.
“What’s on that one?
” shrilled Paul, not able to see for himself.
“Ugh!
only a dog-fish,” grunted the Captain.
“Stab him and chuck him overboard, Fred.
” “No, no--wait a minute, I want to see him first,” cried Paul.
His curiosity for a closer acquaintance with dog-fish was gratified ten times over in the next few minutes and Captain Ed remarked with disgust, “Humph!
Guess their ain’t nuthin’ else in the bay.
” But even as he spoke, a fine cod rewarded the haul.
“Now, that’s something like!
” commended Mr. Remington.
“How much do you s’pose she weighs?
” cried Billy.
“Oh, about six pounds, but we’ll do better’n that,” said the Captain.
Then followed hake, haddock, more dog-fish, another skate, and then three more fine cod--one of them weighing at least ten pounds.
By this time both the boat and the boys were wet and slimy so that Paul consented to have the dog-fish killed and sent to feed and fatten the future prey of the trawl.
While the younger boys made way with the skates and other useless fish, Fred and the Captain continued to overhaul the trawl and rebait the hooks when necessary.
Suddenly, a rebellious thrashing and struggling attended the hauling in of one of the hooks and the boys saw a wriggling mass of coils being brought up from the blue-green depths.
“Jiminy crickets!
It’s a sea-serpent!
” yelled Dudley, his eyes as big as saucers.
“Is it, Captain?
” shivered Paul, deliciously.
“We-ll, I shouldn’t wonder if it was,” answered the Captain, preparing to help Fred disengage the hook from an immense conger eel.
They tried to perform this operation outside of the boat but the resistance of the strong wrestler was so powerful that half of its length slid over the side into the boat even while the Captain and Fred worked to free it.
The new passenger had things his own way for a time after he shipped so that Mr. Remington had to join in the fray to assist in dispossessing the unwelcome stranger.
By the time the conger eel was disentangled from Bill’s legs, Paul and Dudley had laughed themselves so weak that they sat down upon the slippery mess of cod and haddock.
They had laughed all too soon, however!
The eel, cut free from the hook, redoubled upon itself and lovingly entwined the two helpless boys in a close embrace.
Well indeed was it that Mrs. Remington had insisted upon their wearing the rag-tag and bobtail attire that day!
