"You, young Tom.

I wean't stop.

Ketch it as we go by." Tom reached over and thrust in the hook, just catching the line as the trimmer seemed to be gliding away.
"Something on," he shouted, as he got hold of the line with his hands, and threw down the hook into the boat.

For there was a strong sturdy strain upon the cord; and but for the progress of the boat being checked, either the line would have been broken, or Tom would have had to let go.
"Why, you've got hold of a stump!" cried Dick.

"What shall we do, Dave--cat the line ?" "Howd on, lads, steady! Ah, that's moved him!" For just then, in place of the steady strain, there were a series of short sharp snatches.
"Eel, eel!" cried Dick; and at the end of a few minutes' exciting play, a huge eel was drawn over the side of the boat, tied up in quite a knot, into which it had thrown itself just at the last.
"Coot the band close to his neb," [mouth or beak] said Dave, and this being done, and the line saved from tangling, the captive untwisted itself, and began to explore the bottom of the boat, a fine thick fellow nearly thirty inches long, and the possibility was that it might escape over the stern, till Dave put a stop to the prospect by catching it quickly, and before it could glide out of his hand, throwing it into the basket, where the pike resented its coming by an angry flapping of the tail.
"That's better," said Dick, placing the trimmer in the other basket.