It was a moment of great excitement, and not a word was spoken. For although this was ostensibly only a trial to see how the net would work, each lad in his secret heart was wondering whether there might not be a haul of fish captured from the mysterious deep; and not one of them, not Rob himself, could tell whether this very considerable weight they were gradually pulling in was the weight of the net merely, or the weight of fish, or the weight of seaweed. The semicircle of the floats came nearer and nearer, all eyes striving to pierce the clear water. 'I hope the rope'll no break,' said Rob, anxiously, for the weight was great. 'And it's only seaweed!' said Duncan, in a tone of great disappointment. But Rob's eye had been caught by some unusual appearance in the water. It seemed troubled somehow; and more especially near the line of floats. 'Is it?' said he; and he hastily bade Duncan take the rope and haul it gently in. He himself began to take up handfuls of small stones, and fling them into the sea close by the two guy-poles, so that the fish should be frightened back into the net. And as the semicircle grew still smaller, it was very obvious that, though there might be seaweed in the net, it was not all seaweed. By this time the guy-poles had been got ashore; they were now hauling at the net itself. 'Quicker now, boys!' Rob called out. 'Man alive, look at that!' All the space of water now enclosed by the net was seen to be in a state of commotion; the net itself was being violently shaken; here and there a fish leapt into the air. 'Steady, boys! Don't jerk, or ye'll tear the net to bits!' Rob called out in great excitement. For behold! when they had hauled this great weight up on the shore with a final swoop, there was something there that almost bewildered them--a living mass of fish floundering about in the wet seaweed--some springing into the air--others flopping out on to the sand--many helplessly entangled in the meshes. It was a wonderful sight; but their astonishment and delight had to give place to action. 'Run for the boat, Nicol! There's more where they came from!' Rob shouted. Nicol rushed along to the boat; shoved her out; pulled her along to where his companions were; and backed her, stern in. They had no bucket; they had to fling the fish into the bottom of the boat. But this business of stripping the nets--shaking out the seaweed and freeing the enmeshed fish--was familiar to them; and they all worked with a will. There was neither a dog-fish nor a conger in all the haul, so they had no fears for their hands. In less than a quarter of an hour the net was back in the boat, properly arranged, and Rob ready to start again--at a place farther along the beach.