"Guess I got him," he cried triumphantly, as the fish was drawn near to the bank. But as he bent to grasp his prize there was a tremendous splash. The trout leaped high out of water, then darted off again like a flash. Lew had to give him line or lose him. "He's a whopper, Charley," he cried. "Gee! I hope I don't lose him!" "Here's a shallow place," cried Charley. "Work him into it and we can grab him." Lew maneuvered the trout toward the shoal. Again and again the fish broke for the deeper water and Lew had to give him line. But each time he stopped the rush and patiently worked the fish back toward the shoal. At last the trout was fairly on the edge of it. Lew began to pull steadily on his line and slid the tired fish into shallow water. It flopped helplessly on the stones. Lew drew it to the bank and thrust a finger into its gills. In another second the fish was dangling in air. "Great Cæsar!" cried Charley excitedly. "Ain't he a beaut! He's the biggest trout I ever saw." "He's the biggest one I ever caught," answered Lew. "He'll make a meal himself." "He'll have to," returned Charley. "We can't fish another minute. It's almost dark now." Lew slipped his finger down the throat of the gasping fish, and bent the creature's head sharply back. The trout hung limp in his hand. Then the two fishermen made their way through the dusky forest to their camp, where Charley lighted a fire. "I'll just see what this fellow has been eating," said Lew. "Maybe we can find out what sort of bait to use." He opened his knife and slit the fish's belly. "Crabs!" he cried, as his knife blade turned up the remains of a crayfish. "Now we know what they want." Soon Charley had a good bed of coals. Lew, meantime, cleaned the fish. Quickly it was cooked and eaten and the dishes washed. By this time it was altogether dark. "Now we'll get some crabs for to-morrow," said Lew. "Wonder how we can catch them?" queried Charley. "What we need is a little dip-net. With that and the flash-light we could get a peck of them. These little streams are full of them." "Let's try scooping them with a coffee-pot. The lid comes off. If we are careful, I believe it will answer." They took the lid off of the pot, and stepping to the brook turned the beam from their flash-light on the bottom of the run. The scene was fascinating. Feeling secure in the darkness, the living creatures in the brook had ventured abroad freely. Where the bright light of the sun would have disclosed only stones and sand, the little beam from the search-light revealed a myriad of moving shapes. Little minnows moved about in schools. Salamanders, large and small, crawled about among the rocks. Occasional trout were visible, lurking in the deeper holes, lying as motionless as sticks, or moving their tails slowly. Eels lay on the sandy spots. And lying still or crawling slowly among the stones were many crayfish. The water seemed to be filled with living objects.