Menhardoc Part 19

"Ah! well, you've handled her, my lad. Glad you've got such a good un, squire. You see we want strong lines and snooding out here."

"I didn't know you got such beauties as this close to the sh.o.r.e. Oh! I wish father and Taff were here to see it!"

"You must take it home and show them," said Will.

"May I?"

"Why not? You caught it."

"Oh!" cried d.i.c.k, who could say no more, and he even failed to think of having a fresh bait put on, as he knelt in the bottom of the boat gazing at his prize, whose sides were gorgeous with golden orange and bronze, darkening off on the back to a deep olive-brown, like sea-weed, while the lower parts of the fish seemed to have been rubbed with burnished bra.s.s.

"Is it good to eat?" he cried at last.

"Almost as good as any fish that swims," said Will.

"But it's as beautiful as a gold-fish almost," cried d.i.c.k; "quite as beautiful as a carp--more, I think--like those golden tench I once saw.

Why, where are you going now?"

"Right out," said Will; "you don't mind, do you? It won't be rough."

"No, I don't mind," said d.i.c.k stoutly. "I should not mind if it was rough. At least I wouldn't say I did."

"Hor! hor! hor!" laughed Josh again. "That's right. But it won't be rough. We're going out about two miles straight away now. We ought to have been there by now on the ground."

"But how can you tell where the ground is?" said d.i.c.k innocently. "Does it come above water?"

"Do what come above water?" said Josh.

"The ground."

"What ground?"

"Didn't you say you ought to be on the ground?" said d.i.c.k. "Of course you mean the bottom of the boat."

"Get out!" said Josh. "The fishing-ground's five fathom under water."

"Then how can you tell when you get there?"

"Bearin's," growled Josh.

d.i.c.k looked helplessly at Will, while Josh muttered to himself about "gashly ignorance."

"What are bearings?" said d.i.c.k at last.

"I'll show you," said Will, "when we get out there by and by. We have to guide ourselves, you know, out at sea by--"

"Compa.s.s. I know," cried d.i.c.k.

"Ah! that's out of sight of land," said Will quietly. "Along sh.o.r.e we sail by bearings that we take--hills and points and trees, so as to lay the boat where we like."

"But I don't see how you can," cried d.i.c.k.

"Don't you?" said Will good-humouredly, while Josh went on growling to himself and looking disgusted down between his knees. "Well, I'll try and show you. Now, you look right behind you and you can see that we're opening out that old chimney on the top of Toll Pen."

"Opening out!" said d.i.c.k. "I don't know what you mean."

"Well, beginning to see it come into sight."

"Oh! now I know," cried d.i.c.k. "I say, is there anything the matter with him?" he added, for Josh was rumbling with indignation at their visitor's "gashly ignorance."

"No, there arn't," growled Josh roughly. "Only they did ought to teach you something at school."

"They do," said d.i.c.k, laughing merrily; "but they don't know anything about bearings and openings out, and such things. It's all Latin, and Greek, and algebra, and Euclid."

"And none o' them won't teach you how to lay a boat to her bearin's on a bit o' good fishing-ground," said Josh; "and it's a good job for you, my lad, as you've run acrost us. We will teach you something afore we've done."

"Why, you have already," cried d.i.c.k. "I say, are you tired? Shall I help you now?"

"Tired? No, lad, not us. No. There, you keep your eye on that old chimney. Tell him, Will, how to find the ground."

"All right!" said Will. "Well, you see that pile of stones on the top of the hill behind the chimney to the right?"

"What, a rough bit like a lump of sugar on a loaf of bread?"

"That's it!" said Will. "Now, you see those, as we row out, seem to grow closer together?"

"Yes, I see, because you're getting them more in a straight line."

"To be sure!" said Will. "Well, then, when we get them exactly one in front of the other, they give us our bearings one way."

"Oh!" said d.i.c.k.

"Now, look yonder at that church tower at Gullick," said Will.

"Yes, I see it."

"There's a big tree on the hill to the left of it."

"Six," said d.i.c.k.

"No, no, not that clump; but that one standing by itself."

"Yes, I see."

"Well, when the church is right before that tree it gives us the bearings the other way."

"I think I see," said d.i.c.k dubiously; "but I'm not sure."

"It's easy enough," said Will. "You'll soon see. Now look out--the mine chimney over the cairn, and Gullick church in front of the big tree, and there we are right on our fishing-ground."