This took a long time, but it was effected at last, the space inclosed being reduced to less than half the former size, and once more the busy scene went on, the mackerel being caught by hundreds, counted into baskets, tied down, and sent off; but though its appearance was eagerly looked for, no sign was given of the presence of the big fish, whatever it might be. More bass were found, and scad, and gurnard, and a long, thin, cod-fish-looking fellow was drawn napping and splashing from the sea, proving to be a ling. Then there was quite a sight of a little shoal of gar-fish or long-nose, which played about the top of the water for some time here and there in a state of excitement; and then there was a splashing and flashing, and one after the other they threw themselves over the cork-line and escaped to the open bay. "What a pity!" cried Arthur. "Oh! not much, sir. We don't care a very great deal for 'em down here." More squid, a cuttle or two, and several other fish of the varieties previously taken; and still, as if the supply was inexhaustible, the mackerel were ladled out as if from a huge basin with the great landing-nets. "There don't seem to be any big fish here," said Dick at last in disappointed tones, for he had lost all interest in smaller fry since he had heard the announcement of there being something larger inclosed in the net. "I should say it was a shark," said Josh quietly, "he lies so quiet at the bottom." The word shark was electrical, and sent a thrill of excitement through the little party. "But have you sharks off this coast, my man?" asked Mr Temple. "Not a great few, sir; but we sees one now and then, and times we hear of one being ketched." "You mean dog-fish," said Mr Temple. "Oh no! I don't, sir," cried Josh. "Real sharks." "But only small ones." "Yes, sir, small ones, big as Will there, and big ones, great as me, and three foot longer. Shouldn't wonder if there was a big one in the net." "But a large fish such as you speak of would go through the net as if it were a cobweb." Will shook his head. "If the net was tight, sir, and the shark swam right at it, the meshes would give way; but they don't seem to swim right at them, and the net goes with the fish like--yields to it--and does not break. It does sometimes, of course; but we've seen a big fish, a porpoise, regularly rolled up in a net and tied in so that it couldn't move." "Like a conger in a trammel," assented Josh. "Fish is very stoopid, sir, and never thinks of getting out the way they go in." All this while the seine was being contracted and drawn into the boat, where it was laid up like some gigantic brown skein, the men who were gathering it in shaking out the sea-weed and small fish that had enmeshed themselves and had forced their unfortunate heads in beyond the gills. "Here she be," shouted one of the men, as there was a tremendous swirl in the water close by a boat.