"So your father has to do with mines, has he?" said Will rather eagerly, as the two lads walked down towards the little harbour. "Yes, and I'm going to be a mining engineer," said Dick. "I say, I wish I was a fisherman--boy, I mean!" "And I wish I was going to be a mining engineer," said Will, smiling sadly. "Why, it isn't half such fun!" cried Dick. "You have to learn all sorts of stuff about rocks and strata, and chemistry, and mechanics, and hydro-all-sorts-of-things. I say, do you ever see sharks down here?" "Not very often," said Will. "I never did see one. Josh hooked one once with his gaff, after it had taken a conger bait." "Oh, did he? Tell me all about it." "There isn't much all to tell," replied Will. "Josh was out in the boat, fishing off the rocks with a mate--out yonder, where you can see the cliff with the white patch on the top--Poldee." "Yes, I see." "Well, they couldn't catch a single conger, and they were going to give it up, when Josh's mate had a bite; and when he began to pull up, he thought it was a conger, but only a very small one; and then, when they got it to the top of the water they stared, for it was--how much do you think?" "Forty feet!" cried Will eagerly. "No, no!" said Will smiling; "they thought it was about six." "Oh, that isn't big!" said Dick in disappointed tones. "Not big! What, a fish the size of a tall man, and ten times as strong in the water! Not big! We think it very big down here." "Well, go on," said Dick. "Oh, there's no more to tell; only that Josh took up the gaff and got hold of the shark, which gave one flash with his tail and went down again, taking with it Josh's gaff-hook and the conger-line, and that was all." "Oh!" said Dick in a disappointed tone. "They ought to have caught it." "Yes," said Will dryly; "they ought to have caught it, but they did not. There's Josh already in the boat. I wonder whether he thought of a line to whiff." "To whiff? what's that--to make cigars?" "No, no!" said Will as they went along the pier. "I'll show you when we get on board.--Think of a line to whiff, Josh?" "Ay, lad; I thought young master there might like to try as we went out." "This way," said Will, pausing in front of the lugger, which was now very little below the edge of the pier, as the tide was flowing fast. "Shall I help you?" "Oh no!" cried Dick, leaping aboard; and then actively lowering himself into the lugger's boat, a short, broad, heavy affair, wherein sat Josh, with the long-line and box of bait. "You sit down there--aft," said Josh, "and we'll soon row you out." "Is it far?" cried Dick. "'Bout three mile," replied Josh, taking up an oar and pushing the boat away from the side of the lugger, Will following his example, and getting an oar over the side.