One had not been touched, but had had the bait seized and gnawed into a miserable state; another bait was bitten right off cleanly close to the head; while another had been taken off the hook; and one bait had probably been swallowed, and the line bitten in two.
"We are having bad luck," cried Dick dolefully.

"I thought we should get a basket full." "I didn't," said Dave.

"Nivver did but once.

Here, we'll tak' yon last one up first, and come back along here and tak' up the big one, and go thruff yon reed-bed home." "Big one!" said Tom.
"You don't think he's on, do you ?" cried Dick.
"Hey, lad, how do I know! Mebbe he is." "Then let's go at once," cried Dick excitedly.
"Nay, nay, we'll try yon one first," said Dave, for both the remaining trimmers were in sight, and though not where they had been laid down, they seemed to be no farther off than a lively bait and the wind might have taken them.
"Theer, lads, yow'll hev to be saddisfied wi' what yow've got.

No more to-day." "Oh, very well!" said Dick; "but I wish we'd got something more to eat." "There's one on," said Tom excitedly, as they neared the most remote of the two trimmers.
"How do you know ?" "Saw it bob." "Yah! It doan't move." Dick glanced at Dave, whose face was inscrutable, and then the bladder seemed to be motionless, and as if Tom's "bob" was all imagination.
Once more it seemed to move slightly, but it was nothing more than the bait would cause.
"In wi' it, lads," cried Dave.