With great haste, Frank unreeled his line, baited his hook and flung it far from him. Hodge followed his example, but did not let the hook sink far before, seeing a great splashing in another direction, he began to pull in. He had not drawn the hook far before something took it with a jerk and darted away. “Great Scott!” cried Hodge, excitedly. “What a bite!” “Pull him in!” said Frank. Hodge obeyed, and the fish darted from side to side, the line cutting into Bart’s fingers with the fierce plunges of the finny fellow. Up to the side of the canoe Hodge pulled the fish. The bright sunshine showed something white that darted and plunged in a mad endeavor to break away, and then, at the last moment, seemed to give up exhausted. Then, being able to see the fish plainly, Hodge stopped, uttering a gasp of astonishment. “What is it, Merry?” he asked, in a flutter. “It can’t be a white perch, for it’s too big.” “Pull it in, and then we’ll see.” But Bart had slackened at the wrong time, and now the great fish gave a flop and escaped from the hook. There was a flash of silver plunging downward, and the fish was gone. Bart was exasperated. “What a stupid fellow I am!” he growled. “But that fish was so big! He was too large for a perch, and——” Frank was drawing in his line to give it another throw. All at once, it gave a jerk and slipped through his fingers, then he began to pull away hand over hand, while the line cut here and there through the water. “You have one!” cried Bart, excitedly. “Don’t let him get away as I did, Merry! Jingoes! but he is doing some fancy dodging!” Up to the surface darted the fish and up into the air he leaped like a flash of light out of the water. “Oh!” shouted Hodge, starting to rise in his excitement. “What a dandy!” “Get down!” commanded Frank, quickly. “You will have this canoe bottom up if you do that again! It’s a wonder you didn’t turn her over then!” “That’s so,” agreed Bart, who was familiar with the cranky tricks of canoes; “but I couldn’t keep still.” Into the canoe Frank pulled his catch, and both lads stared at the fish, for it was larger than four of the large ones of their first lot. “Can that be a white perch?” gurgled Hodge, amazed. “It doesn’t look just like the others.” “Whatever it is, there are more out there,” said Frank. “Get after them, Bart. We’ll daze the fellows when we bring in a mess of these dandies.” Hodge had arranged a tempting bait on his hook, and now he made a fancy throw that carried the whole length of the line out of the boat. The hook struck far away on the water and sank, while the fish Frank had caught flopped in the bottom of the canoe, stirring up the others to a merry, pattering dance. “Pull in by the time your hook sinks three or four feet,” said Frank, looking after his own bait. “These big fellows are on the surface.”