"Let me see; ah, yes, you let down a trawl and catch your fish in it, instead of using a line or drag-net." "Sure, Captain," cried Mrs Gilmour, laughing at this, "that's as good as your definition of steam the other day! You'll have Bob asking you now what is a trawl, the same as I've got to do; please tell us, won't you ?" "Sure and I will," returned he, imitating her accent and making her brother and herself laugh, Mrs Strong only smiling faintly, as she had a marked dislike to any allusion to the Irish brogue.

"The trawl, ma'am, is a very simple contrivance when it is understood; and, by your leave, I'll try and make it plain to you.

It consists of an ordinary net, like a seine, which you've seen, of course ?" "Yes," replied his questioner, "I have seen them dragging the seine, as it is called, down on the beach often." "Oh, auntie, Nell and I saw them, too, the day after that storm we had when we first came," said Bob eagerly.

"I know, because I asked the men what they were doing, and they told me." "There's nothing like asking for information," observed the Captain approvingly.

"It's lucky, though, those men told you at once, or you'd have worried their lives out!" "Sure and you may well say that," put in Mrs Gilmour.