This done, the ends were taken by plenty of willing hands right into shallow water, and as the men hauled, the great purse came closer and closer, and every now and then there was a tremendous agitation towards the middle. "Let's go ashore, now," said Arthur, as Josh urged the boat on, and the water swirled up tremendously not four yards away. "Is there any danger--any risk?" said Mr Temple quietly to Josh. "A mussy me! no, sir; not a bit!" said Josh; and then laughing, he added, "only for shark, sir, of having his liver boiled down for oil." "Oh! don't I wish I had a spear, or a harpoon!" cried Dick excitedly, as once more the water was churned up and the net came to the surface. "We'll get her without any o' that tackle, Master Dick, sir," cried Josh, keeping steadily advancing after the cork-line, but not so quickly as to go over the net. "Are they going to draw the net right ashore, Will?" said Dick. "Right ashore, Master Dick, on to the sands, and it won't be long now." "Take care, Dick, or you'll be overboard!" said Mr Temple. "I should like to be, father; it isn't deep here?" "Fathom!" said Josh shortly; "soon be half." There was a regular sing-song kept up by the men who were hauling, and the sands presented quite an exciting scene, for some sixty or seventy of the men who had finished their task, with others who were ashore and not busy, had collected to see the big fish taken in the seine. "Why, there must be lots of fish in it yet," said Dick. "Yes; plenty of mackerel left, and a many fish perhaps such as you never saw before." "Is she heavy, lads?" shouted the captain of the seine-boat. "Ay, there be a sag o' fish in her yet aside the great un," was shouted back. "Steady, then! steady! and don't break the seine. Take your time!" "Hadn't we better get ashore?" cried Dick; "we shall see better." "No!" said Mr Temple; "I think our friend Josh is right. We are out of the way of the men here and dry. Look, boys, look! there is something big in the net indeed!" For as he was speaking there was a tremendous commotion, the water was splashed up, and for a moment it seemed as if whatever caused the disturbance had escaped. But it was not so, though the limits of its prison were growing narrower minute by minute as the ends of the net were gathered on to the sand, and laid at the water's edge like a great soft ridge of brown sea-weed.