Chuck out again, and this time let him have it easy, and if he's a big one give him time." The carefully-baited hooks were thrown out again, and before the bait had sunk a couple of feet it was once more seized.
"Sha'n't starve here, my lad!" said Small gleefully.
"Not if we can catch the fish," said Mark, whose fingers were burning with the friction of the line.

"I say, Small, is it a crocodile ?" "G'long with you! Crocodile!--no; it's not a very big one." "But see how it pulls!" cried Mark as the fish continued its rush and would have been off, line and all, some twenty fathoms, if it had not been that the cord was securely fastened to the winder, which was suddenly snatched from the bottom of the boat to fly with a rap against the lad's knuckles.
"Don't you let him go, Mr Mark, sir!" cried Small, who was as excited now as the lad.

"Hold on! That's all our braxfusses." "I'm going to hold on if I can," said Mark between his teeth; "but I shall let him run if he's going to pull me out of the boat." As he spoke the fish was tugging furiously at the line, drawing the holder's arms out to their full stretch, and actually threatening to jerk him over the side of the boat.

Now it rushed to right, now to left, and then made straight once more for the sea, and so full of strength that this time Mark set his teeth, feeling sure that line, hook, or his fingers must give way.
"You'll lose him.

I know you will," cried Small, though how the fisherman was to prevent the catastrophe now that he was at the end of the line the boatswain did not say; and while finding fault, after the fashion of lookers-on, it never occurred to him that he might help the capture by letting the boat follow the fish.
Matters then had just as it were reached a climax, when, instead of the line breaking or Mark going over the side, the strong cord, which had been hissing here and there through the water, suddenly grew slack, and the tension was taken off Mark's muscles and mind to give place to a feeling of despair.
"Well, you are a fisherman, sir," growled Small, spitting a little tobacco juice into the water in disgust.