CHAPTER XX.
THE SHARK FISHERMAN.
"How long have we got before we ought to be home?" asked Herb, thatnight, as they prepared to camp ashore.
"Nearly three weeks left of our time," remarked Josh, sadly; for, muchas they wanted to see the dear ones, they would all be sorry when thevacation had reached its end, and once more they must take up schoolduties at home.
"But looky here," piped up Nick, "my dad wrote me that they'd had a badhitch about building the high school again. Seems like there was a laborstrike that tied up everything. It ain't settled yet, he says, and if itain't done soon, why, the chances are there won't be any session at allthis Spring, because they don't know just where to house us!"
"Glory be!" cried Jimmy; "oh! what an illegant toime we could be aftherhaving, down in this cruiser's paradise, if so be thim laborin' men onlyhold the fort a little longer!"
He voiced the sentiment that filled every heart, although no one elsehad spoken a word as yet.
"That would be too good to be true," Jack laughed, shaking his head.
"Yes, and we mustn't let the idea get hold of us, because we'd only bedisappointed all the more," Herb remarked.
"But we'll know by the time we get to New Orleans, won't we?" demandedNick, with set jaws, and a flash to his blue eyes; "because, you see,I'm interested more'n the rest of you."
"Say ye so?" burst out Jimmy, wickedly, and chuckling under his breath.
"Because it would give me plenty of time to burst bubbles that arefloating around here, and establish a new record," Nick went on,pugnaciously.
"Then, by the powers," Jimmy declared, "I do be hopin' that we spind thewhole bally winter down here. It amuses me to see ye worrk, Nick. An',by the same token, it's doin' ye a hape of good in the bargain, so itis."
They had reached Cedar Keys, and everything was going well. Georgestill found more or less reason to congratulate himself on his wisdomin making that change in his motive power. Now and then Jack sawhim pondering, and understood that there was a fly in the ointmentsomewhere; but George had said nothing, and they could only hazard aguess as to whether it might be a diminution of speed, or the oldhaunting fear of a breakdown still gripping his heart.
"Where do we strike next for mail?" asked Herb, the night after leavingthe city on the key, when, after passing the mouth of the famous SuwanneeRiver, they had pulled up back of a friendly key.
"Pensacola is our next port; and I hope we find more letters waiting forus than there were here," George replied.
"Now, that's quare," remarked Jimmy, with a twinkle in his eye; "whenivery one of us got a letter from the folks back home. But I do befearin' the little girlie with the rosy cheeks, and the dimple in herchin forgot to write that toime."
"Well, what's that to anybody but me?" said George, facing them allboldly.
The conversation immediately switched to another subject, for George wasrather touchy about having his private affairs talked about by hischums. Had it been Nick, now, or even Jimmy, they would have answeredback in the same humor, and the fun waxed fast and furious.
But at the time Nick was busy with that shark line of his. He fanciedthat as the tide came in and went out through what might be called aninlet, always with more or less confusion, there was a pretty goodchance to hook one of the sea tigers, if only he took pains.
"We've changed our course again, haven't we, Jack?" Herb asked.
"That's so," came the reply; "you see, the coast no longer runs nearlynorth and south here, but turns to the west. And if one of those oldNorthers bursts on us now, why, we'll get it from land side instead ofthe gulf; unless it whirls around, something these winter blows seldomdo; because, you see, they don't happen to be of the tornado, orhurricane type, just straight wind storms."
Jack was always a fund of information to his mates. He studied things atevery opportunity, and never forgot a fact he had learned. And it wassurprising how the others had come by degrees to depend on him in allsorts of emergencies.
"I do be glad, Jack, darlint," remarked Jimmy, just then, "that ye makeNick put on a loife preserver ivery toime he do be going in that crankydinky, to carry out his baited shark hook. It's him that is so clumsy,the boat looks like 'twould turrn over at any minute, so it does. And heso fat and juicy, how do we know some hungry shark mightn't loike totake a bite out of him? Look now at the gossoon, would ye, and how heworrks? In all me experience I niver yit saw such a change as there hasbeen in our Nick."
"Yes, that's so," laughed Herb. "You know, they say competition is thelife of trade; and it seems to be putting a good lot of life in NickLongfellow. Why, he jumps around now like nobody ever saw him do before.If this keeps up long, he'll be able to play on our baseball team nextseason. Wow! just imagine the Ice Wagon galloping across centre to graba long fly!"
Meanwhile, the object of all this talk was paying strict attention tobusiness. He had been shark fishing so many times now that he seemed tohave the whole thing down to a fine science. After baiting his bog hook,with its attendant chain, he dropped it in a promising place. Then hemade for the shore, paying out the stout line as he went most carefully.
Once on the sandy strip of beach, Nick fastened the rope to the nearesttree he could find, first taking a couple of hitches around a stake hehad driven in deeply, not far from the water's edge, and which was toserve as a snubbing post, in case he were lucky enough to make a strike.
"It's very pat," remarked Jack, when the stout youth rejoined the groupabout the fire, "that if any of us want to know about sharks, theirhabits, and how best to get the pirates of the sea ashore, we've got togo to Nick here."
"Yes," spoke up George, "he ought to be a walking dictionary of terms;because he's always asking questions of every cracker and sponger wemeet. I honestly believe, boys, he keeps a shark book, and that he's gotan idea of writing the family tree up some day."
"Oh! come off," grinned Nick; "after I've hauled a dandy weighing abouthalf a ton on shore, and showed you what I can do, I guess the wholebusiness can go hang, for all of me. What use are they, anyhow? Youcan't eat 'em."
"That's the way Nick always judges things," declared George. "If theydon't happen to be good for food, he's got mighty little use for thesame."
"I ain't denying it, am I?" queried the other, good-naturedly. "What arewe here for, anyway, but to eat our way through this dreary old world?Of course, don't go and think I believe eating's the _only_ thing worthliving for; but it cuts a big figure with me. Guess I was born halfstarved, and I've been tryin' all I knew how ever since to make it up."
"And by the powers, ye look that happy now, I be afther thinkin' ye mustexpect to pull in the champion fish this same night," Jimmy commented.
"Well, I've got a hunch that something is about due," Nick replied,confidently. "There's a fishy smell about this place, seems to me; and Ijust reckon that in times past many a dandy old shark has been yanked upon this same beach. That tideway looked good to me, too; and by now, asJack said, I ought to know something about the hungry crew. Just waitand see what happens, that's all."
Jimmy became a little uneasy. Perhaps it was in the air that his day tofall had come around in due time. He cast frequent glances over towardthe snubbing post as the evening drew on, with twilight succeeding thesetting of the sun.
Nick had heard Jack telling how he went pickerel fishing on the ice onewinter, and the methods of telling when a fish took the hook appealed tohim. Consequently he employed the same sort of tactics when in pursuitof nobler game.
"For, you see, they call a pickerel or a pike a fresh-water shark," hehad explained, when first testing the plan; "and what is good for one,ought to work with the other."
At the top of the snubbing post he had fastened an iron ring. The ropepassed through this, being secured by a staple that could be easilydislodged, as it was intended for only temporary use.
Back of the post the line was coiled up several times, and a white ragfastened to it at a certain point. When a shark carried off
the baitedhook, this slack would quickly pass through the ring at the top of thestout post, so that the flag must mount upward, and signal to the alertfisherman that he had made a strike; when he could hasten to attend tohis captive.
They were eating supper, as the night closed in. Nick had seated himselfin a comfortable position, where he might occasionally raise his eyes,and by a turn of the head look off in the direction where his trap waslaid.
During the earlier part of the meal he had paid strict attention tobusiness, and glanced that way about once a minute faithfully. But asthe spirit of feasting took a firmer clutch upon his soul, the fat boybegan to forget.
Not so Jimmy. He had taken up his quarters so that he might observe thegoings on at the snubbing post without even turning his head. And as hemunched away at what he had on his tin platter, the Irish lad kept aclose watch for the flaunting of the tell-tale signal.
Jack saw this, and he knew that all he had to do in order to keep fullyposted as to the way things were working, was to watch Jimmy, whosefreckled face would serve as a thermometer.
And after a while, when it was almost pitch-dark around the camp on theedge of the water, he discovered that Jimmy was staring at the snubbingpost as though fascinated. His lips were working, too, though apparentlyhe was having a hard time trying to speak, and tell his rival that thetrap was working.
But Jimmy was clean-cut and generous, even to one with whom he hadentered into a contest for supremacy; and presently he burst forth.
"Would ye be afther getting a move on, Nick?" he exclaimed. "There's theflag a flutterin' on the top of the post like a signal man wigwaggin' inthe Boy Scouts troop! And by the powers, it's gone now, pulled clane outof the socket. Be off with ye; for, by the same token, ye've cotched thegranddaddy of all the sharrks, I do belave!"