"No, you shall have first go, Tom." "May I ?" cried the lad, flushing.
"Yes; go on.

Where's the big hook, Dave ?" "Why, s'pose I forgot it," said Dave slowly.
"You haven't," said Dick.

"There's the stick," and he picked up a short staff.
"Ay, lad, bud there be no hook." "Now, none of your old games, Dave," cried Dick; "just as if we didn't know! Come, out with it! You've got it in your pocket." Dave chuckled, and produced a hook made by bending round a piece of thin iron rod and sharpening the point.
This hook he inserted in the staff and handed to Dick, who immediately passed it to Tom, the latter standing up ready to hook the line when the time should come.
But that was not yet, for the floating bladder was more than a hundred yards away, and still skimming along.
"Be a long time making up his mind to swallow it," said Dave, slowly and softly reducing the distance between them and the buoy, and then pausing while they were still fifty yards away.
"He has stopped now," said Dick in a hoarse whisper as the bladder gleamed quite white a few yards away from the reeds, and gently rose and fell in the ripple caused by the wind.
"Why, he's gone!" said Tom in a disappointed tone.
_Bob_ went the bladder as if to contradict him, giving one sharp movement, and then remaining still once more.
"Nay, he hasn't gone," said Dave.

"Give him a bit more time.

We'll set another while we're waiting." As he spoke he laid the pole across the head of the punt, and quickly baiting another of his hooks, dropped it over the boat side away from the direction in which they had to go; and after checking it once or twice till the bait took the right course, he let it go.
Meanwhile, the lads were impatiently watching the bladder, which now remained perfectly still; and in imagination they saw a monstrous pike swallowing the unfortunate gudgeon which bore the hook.
"Theer!" said Dave, rising and taking up his pole.