The sport at first was slack, and no wonder; and Furlong began to grow tired, when Murphy hooked on his salmon, and gently brought it round under the water within range of his victim's observation. "This is wather dull work," said Furlong. "Wait awhile, my dear sir; they are never lively in biting so early as this--they're not set about feeding in earnest yet. Hilloa! by the Hokey I have him!" shouted Murphy. Furlong looked on with great anxiety, as Murphy made a well-feigned struggle with a heavy fish. "By this and that, he's a whopper!" cried Murphy in ecstasy. "He's kicking like a two-year old. I have him, though, as fast as the rock o' Dunamase. Come up, you thief!" cried he, with an exulting shout, as he pulled up the salmon with all the splash he could produce; and suddenly whipping the fish over the side into the boat, he began flapping it about as if it were plunging in the death-struggle. As soon as he had affected to kill it, he held it up in triumph before the castle conjuror, who was quite taken in by the feint, and protested his surprise loudly. "Oh! that's nothing to what we'll do yet. If the day should become a little more overcast, we'd have splendid sport, sir." "Well, I could not have believed, if I hadn't seen it," said Furlong. "Oh! you'll see more than that, my boy, before we've done with them." "But I haven't got even a bite yet!" "Nor I either," said Dick; "you're not worse off than I am." "But how extwao'dinawy it is that I have not seen a fish wise since I have been on the wiver." "That's because they see us watching them," said Dick. "The d----l such cunning brutes I ever met with as the fish in this river: now, if you were at a distance from the bank, you'd see them jumping as lively as grasshoppers. Whisht! I think I had a nibble." "You don't seem to have good sport there," shouted Murphy. "Vewy poo' indeed," said Furlong, dolefully. "Play your line a little," said Murphy; "keep the bait lively--you're not up to the way of fascinating them yet." "Why, no; it's wather _noo_ to me." "'Faith!" said Murphy to himself, "it's new to all of us. It's a bran new invention in the fishing line. Billy," said he to the _gossoon_, who was in the boat with him, "we must catch a salmon again to _divart_ that strange gentleman--hook him on, my buck." "Yes, sir," said Billy, with delighted eagerness, for the boy entered into the fun of the thing heart and soul, and as he hooked on the salmon for a second haul, he interlarded his labours with such ejaculations as, "Oh, Misther Murphy, sir, but you're the funny jintleman. Oh, Misther Murphy, sir, how soft the stranger is, sir. The salmon's ready for ketchin' now, sir. Will you ketch him yet, sir?" "Coax him round, Billy," said Murphy. The young imp executed the manoeuvre with adroitness; and Murphy was preparing for another haul, as Furlong's weariness began to manifest itself.