Water-hen Swallowed by Pike.—Casting Net.—Trapping Water-hen for Bait.—A Monster Pike.

Frank and Jimmy were punting through one of the reedy pools adjoining the broad, shooting wild-fowl, and had not been very successful, so they were disposed to shoot coots and water-hens, as well as ducks. They saw a water-hen swimming across a small pool into which they had just pushed their way, and Jimmy raised his gun to fire at it, but before he could pull the trigger there was an immense splash and swirl in the water, and the water-hen disappeared down the jaws of an immense pike. The boys stared in amazement.

"That fellow must have been forty pounds in weight at the least," said Frank, as soon as he had recovered himself.

"Let us row home at once and get our tackle, and fish for him."

They rowed quickly back, and upon reaching the boat-house they found that Dick was there, and had just put the finishing touch to a casting net which they had been occupied in making for some time.

"Bravo! that is capital!" said Frank. "We can now catch some bait with it."

Before casting the net into the water they practised some time with it, for it is very difficult to throw a casting-net properly. After a little practice the boys were able to throw the net so that it described something like a circle on the ground, and then they took it to the shallow parts of the broad, and in a dozen throws they obtained a quantity of small roach and bream, as well as some large ones. Putting some of the roach into a bait-can, they rowed to the pool where the big pike lay, and first of all tried him with a live bait. But the float was undisturbed, save by the movements of the bait. Then they tried trolling with a dead gorge-bait, then spinning, and then a spoon, but with the like ill success.

"I tell you what," said Frank, at length, "a big fish like that requires something out of the common to induce him to bite. Let us put a big bream on, and try and tempt him by size." So they put a bream a pound and a half in weight on the gorge-hook, and worked the heavy bait up and down every part of the pool, but still without success, and the autumn night came on and put a stop to their fishing.

"We must catch him somehow," said Frank.

"Let us set trimmers for him," suggested Jimmy in despair.

"No, no; we will catch him by fair means if we can."

The big pike, the biggest which they had ever seen, occupied their thoughts all that evening. As Frank was dressing the next morning a happy thought occurred to him, and when he met his friends after breakfast he said,—

"I have got an idea how we may catch that pike. You remember how he took the water-hen under? He decidedly prefers flesh to fish. What do you say to catching a water-hen and baiting our hook with it?"

"The very thing," said Jimmy.

"But how are we to catch the water-hen?" asked Dick.

"I don't quite know. We must get it alive, you see."

They talked it over, but could not hit upon any plan of capturing one alive, so at luncheon-time they went to Bell, and asked him if he could help them.

"Well, sirs, the water-hens come to my back garden to feed with the hens and sparrows. If you could lay some sort of a trap for them like a riddle-trap for sparrows it would be an easy matter to entice one into it."

"The very thing," said Jimmy. "We will put the casting-net round a wooden hoop and prop it up on a stick, and put bread-crumbs under it."

So the casting-net was called into requisition, and a trap was constructed, and set in Bell's back yard, which was close to a dyke leading to the broad. The boys hid themselves in an outhouse, having a long string fastened to the stick which supported the net at an angle of forty degrees. First the hens came under it and then the sparrows, and the two began to eat up all the bread put there. At last a water-hen was seen swimming across the dyke, and with slow and cautious steps creeping up the bank towards the net. Frank took the end of the string in his hand, and peeped cautiously through a chink in the door while the others looked through a little window. The water-hen fed for some time on the outskirts of the throng of hens and sparrows, and at last ventured within the circle of the net.

"Now," said Dick.

"No, wait until it is further under," said Jimmy.

Frank waited until the bird was fairly under the net, and then pulled the string. The trap descended upon three hens, half-a-dozen sparrows, and the water-hen.

"Hurrah!" cried the boys, rushing out. It was a matter of some difficulty to secure the bird they wanted from among the struggling mass of hens and sparrows, but they did so at last without hurting any of the others, and at once pinioned it by cutting off its wing feathers.

The next morning as soon as it was light they rowed to the place where the big pike lay. Everything was very still and quiet, and shrouded in a light grey mist, as they pushed their way along a narrow channel to the pool. They had brought with them their strongest rod and their stoutest line, and they carefully tried every knot and fastening of their tackle before commencing to fish. The next most important thing was to bait the water-hen or arm her with hooks properly. This was done by tying a number of hooks lightly to her with thread, and ruffling the feathers so as to conceal them.

"Poor thing," said Dick, as Frank took up the rod and swung her into the pool.

By keeping a slight pull on the line the bird was induced to turn in the opposite direction, and to swim towards the middle of the pool.

"Another minute or two will show if our plan is successful," said Frank, "and if not, the bird shall be let loose."

"I don't feel much faith in it now," said Jimmy.

When the bird reached the centre of the pool she dived.

"Oh dear, I did not expect that," said Frank. "What shall we do now?"

"She must come up again presently. The pool is twelve feet deep, and she cannot cling to the bottom."

"I felt her give such a pull just now. She is struggling hard to escape," said Frank, who was still letting out line.

Two or three minutes passed away, and still the bird did not make her appearance.

"Pull in the line a bit, Frank."

Frank did so, and said,—

"She must be clinging to the bottom. I cannot move her," and he pulled a little harder.

"I say," he cried, "I felt such a sharp tug. I do believe the big pike has got hold of her."

"Nonsense!" said the others.

"But it isn't nonsense," said Frank, and he held the rod bent so that they could see the top twitching violently.

"It is the pike!" Frank exclaimed excitedly, and he immediately let the line run loose, so that the pike might have room to gorge his prey.

"He must have seized the water-hen as she dived," said Dick.

"Yes, and won't we give him plenty of time to gorge. I don't want to miss him now we have got such a chance," said Frank.

And in spite of their impatience they gave the pike half-an-hour to swallow the bird, and then, at the end of that time, there were sundry twitchings of the point of the rod, and the line was taken out by jerks of a foot or two at a time.

"He is moving about," said Jimmy. "It is time to strike."

Frank raised his rod amid a hush of expectation. As the line tightened he struck lightly, and immediately the rod bent double with a mighty rush from the pike as he went straight across the little pool, which was about thirty yards in diameter. After this first rush the pike began to swim slowly about, keeping deep down and never showing himself. Round and round and across the pool he swam, now resting for a few minutes like a log, and from a twitching of the line apparently giving angry shakes of his head. Frank kept a steady, even strain upon him, and as the space was so circumscribed there was no danger of a breakage by any sudden rush.

This sort of thing went on for half-an-hour, the line slowly cutting through the still, dark water; and Jimmy and Dick urged Frank to pull harder, and make the fish show himself. But Frank was too wise to give way, and he still kept on in a steady, cautious fashion.

"If we go on much longer we shall be late for Mr. Meredith," said Dick.

"Never mind," replied Frank, "he will forgive us on such an occasion as this."

"Here he comes," shouted Frank, as he wound in his line. The pike came rolling up to the surface a few yards from the boat, and they caught sight of him. His proportions were gigantic, and his fierce eyes glared savagely at them. He gave a flounder on the top of the water, then sank down again into the depths.

"What a monster!"

In a few minutes the pike came up again, and this time more on his side, and plainly much exhausted. Three times more did he thus rise and sink again, and each time he seemed more helpless. The fourth time he remained on the surface lying on his side. Dick got hold of the gaff and held it in the water with outstretched arm, while Frank slowly drew the conquered giant towards it. Dick put the gaff under him and sharply drove it into his side, and then Jimmy and he uniting their forces, hauled the pike into the punt, almost upsetting it in their eagerness, and then threw themselves on the fish to prevent it flopping out again.

They rowed home in great triumph, and on weighing the pike it was found to be 34-1/4 lbs. in weight, and the largest which had been caught in Hickling Broad for many years. The time it took to land it from the time it was struck was fifty-five minutes.