Will had been rowing, but he now handed the oar to Josh, unhooked the mackerel, killed it by a blow or two on the head, and then, to Dick's astonishment and horror, took out his sharp jack-knife and sliced off a long narrow piece of the silvery-skinned fish close to the tail. "Oh, what a pity!" cried Dick. "I say!" "You must have a good bait," said Will quietly, "and a lask from a mackerel's tail--" "A what?" "A long thin piece like this--we call it a lask--is one of the best baits you can have." "But it seemed such a pity to cut that beautiful fish." "Catch another," said Will laughing; and he threw the newly-baited hook over the side, where, as the lead dragged it down into the clear water, Dick could see it dart out of sight, looking like a small silvery fish. "Why, how quick a mackerel must be to catch that as it goes through the water!" he said. "Quick as lightning," said Josh. "There, you've got him again." "So I have," cried Dick, hauling in rapidly now, as the result of his teaching, and bringing in another mackerel larger than the first. "I'll take it off for you," said Will. "No, no, I will. Get me another bait." "All right!" cried Will. "Ugh! you nasty cannibal, eating bits of your own brother!" cried Dick, apostrophising the lovely fish as it lay beating the bottom of the boat with its tail. "Hor! hor! hor! hor!" laughed Josh heartily, the idea of the fish being a cannibal tickling him immensely. "They'll eat their own fathers and mothers and children too, when they get a chance." "Mind, or he'll tangle the line," said Will; and he pounced upon the fish just as it was going to play shuttle in the boat, and weave the line into a task that it would take long to undo. Then another bait was hooked on, the line thrown over, and Will resumed his oar. "Put her along, Josh," he said. "Ay, ay, lad," cried the sturdy fellow; and the water began to patter beneath the bows of the boat, when all at once there was a sharp crack, and Josh went backwards with his heels in the air. "Look at that," he said sourly. "That comes o' having bad thole-pins;" and he began to knock out the remains of the pin that formed the rowlock and which had broken short off. This brought the boat nearly to a standstill, and consequently down went the lead to the bottom; but only to be dragged up again, Dick hauling away excitedly as he felt a good tug, tug at his bait. "I've got him again!" he cried. "Then you can catch fish with such tackle as ours!" said Will, who looked on highly amused at his friend's excitement. "Oh, yes!" said Dick. "You see I didn't know. Why, what's this? Look at him how he's going. Here, I've seen these chaps in the fishmongers' in London too. I know: it's a gurnard." "Gunnet," said Josh correctively. "Why, you might catch these with a great meat hook," cried Dick. "Oho! what a mouth!"