HOMEWARD BOUND--A DISH OF EELS
For nearly three miles they held to the main road, going due north,
then turned aside to a quiet grassy by-track running north-east, and
were fairly launched on their new route. Moving in quiet, steady
fashion, they made nine miles before they halted, then pulled up below
an oak-tree on the borders of a little wood for a long halt during the
heat of the day. Both, though in good, hard condition, were dripping
with sweat, for the day was unwontedly sultry for early summer.
'Don't mind if I do stretch me legs a bit,' grunted the Raven.
'Yes,' said Dick; 'jolly stiff going to-day, Chippy. Isn't it hot?
But we can take a good long rest now. We've broken the back of the
day's journey.'
'Right time to do it, Dick,' said his friend.
'Rather,' said Dick; 'no time for a tramp like the freshness of the
morning.'
The boys stretched themselves in the shade and lay at their ease for
half an hour, then Dick sat up.
'Well,' he said, 'there seems a hollow inside me somewhere.'
'Same 'ere, Dick,' murmured the Raven. 'We'll fill up. Wot's the bill
o' fare?'
'Chupatties and tea, I fancy,' replied the Wolf. 'We've been carrying
the rest of that bag of flour about since Monday morning.'
'All to the good,' murmured Chippy, 'all to the good. Wot we've
dropped in for has saved our----' He pulled up abruptly, and did not
utter the word 'cash,' which had been in his mind. 'Shan't mention
that,' he continued in a lower whisper still, ''cept we're in the
middle of a ten-acre field.'
Dick laughed. 'We got into a trifle of a fix the last time we
discussed that subject,' he said. 'I say, Chippy, do you reckon that
it was a bit of a blot on us as scouts that we were caught like that?'
Chippy heaved a deep sigh. 'I've never mentioned it,' he replied, 'but
it's bin on my mind more'n once. Seems to me we orter scouted round
more to find whether there wor enemies in the country. They 'ad us on
toast, they did. Reg'lar let down for a pair o' scouts,' and Chippy
sighed again.
In order to banish these melancholy thoughts, the Wolf and the Raven
began to get something to eat. The Wolf opened his jacket and mixed
the flour on the lining, while the Raven fetched water and made a fire,
and chopped and peeled and heated a club.
When the dough was ready, Dick worked it into a long strip which was
wound spirally round the club. Then the club was thrust into the
ground beside the fire, one end of it being sharpened. Now and again
the club was given a turn while the dough toasted steadily. Chippy
watched the dough, and Dick made the tea.
They ate their meal, rested a couple of hours, then went on again. It
was now midday, and tremendously hot. But they were not going a great
way. The map showed the winding blue line of a river two miles ahead,
and they were in search of it for a pleasant swim.
They gained the bank of the river, sat down a short time to cool off,
then stripped and plunged in, and spent a delightful half-hour in the
clear water. As they were dressing they observed that a faintly marked
path ran through the meadow at the edge of the stream. They followed
it when they were ready to march once more, and soon came upon a mill
standing at the waterside. Above the mill was a broad pool, and in the
shade of some bushes trout were feeding, or, more likely, playing, for
now and again one would leap clean out of the water and fall back again
with a flash of silver. The boys sat down on the bank beside the water
and gazed upon the pleasant pool.
'It would come in handy if you could catch a few of those trout,
Chippy,' said Dick. 'Those were all right we caught on Monday night.'
The Raven shook his head. 'Wish I could, Dick,' he replied; 'but that
dodge ain't no use now, an' I couldn't get them over theer to look at
anythin' I've got wi' me.'
'I suppose not,' said Dick. 'I say, Chippy, see that heap of stones
just under the bank here.'
The Raven glanced down and saw what his brother scout was pointing at.
It looked as if for generations the millers had flung their broken
mill-stones into this part of the pool, and they lay piled against each
other with black hollows between.
Chippy looked down thoughtfully, then his eyes lighted up. 'Never seen
a more likely place in me life for big eels,' he grunted; 'they love a
hole atwixt stones lik that.'
'Do you think we could catch a few?' cried Dick eagerly.
'Shouldn't wonder,' replied his comrade. 'We'll have a go, anyhow.
Fust, we want some lobs.'
The search for lob-worms was made at once.
'We'll have to dig for them, I suppose,' said Dick.
'Not a bit of it,' said Chippy. 'I'll show ye a lot quicker way than
that.'
He went to the side of the field where there was a ditch nearly dry in
the hot sun. He walked along the ditch until he came to a stone. He
turned the stone swiftly, and there was almost sure to be a big lob
lying underneath it, sometimes two or three. Before they could
withdraw into their holes the Raven's finger was pressed on their
tails, and they were helpless. In a few moments he had collected more
than a dozen big lobs, and these were carried back triumphantly to the
mill-pool in his hat.
Next he cut a couple of hazel-rods about four feet long, and fairly
stiff, tied a short line to each, and fastened a strong-eyed hook at
the end of the line.
'Now we're ready,' he said. 'This little game's called "sniggling,"
an' it's a sure thing if only th' eel's at 'ome. Lemme get 'old 'o one
fust, an' show ye how to pull 'im out.'
Chippy put a lob on his hook, and then pinched a small split bullet--of
which his friend had given him half a dozen--on the line about six
inches above the hook. He dropped the weighted bait into a dark hole
between two fragments of stone, and moved it gently about. Two or
three minutes passed; then the Raven drew his bait up.
'Nobody in,' he remarked; 'try next door.' He moved a yard along the
bank, and dropped the bait into a second dark crevice. It was seized
instantly, and the line sharply plucked.
'One 'ere,' said Chippy; 'there's no mistake about hearin' from him, if
there's one about.'
'Look how he's pulling at the line!' cried Dick, as the slender cord
jerked again and again.
'Yus,' said Chippy; 'nuthin' plucks an' pulls like an eel. Now he's
got a good hold o' the bait, an' out he comes.'
The Raven began to pull firmly but slowly, keeping the line quite taut.
'Don't try to yank 'im out,' he said to his pupil. 'Sure's ye do,
ye'll break the line an' lose the lot. Pull gently at 'im till he's
tired; then out he comes, smooth an' easy.'
Three or four minutes passed before Chippy drew the snake-like head of
the eel out of the black hole between the stones.
'A good un,' he snapped, drew on the line a little harder, and swung an
eel weighing half a pound or more to the bank, where he promptly put
one foot on the eel and drew the line taut.
'See wot I'm doin'?' said the Raven. 'If ye don't look out, he'll
tangle hisself all up in yer line, an' give ye a fine old job to get
'im free.' With that he whipped out his knife, and despatched the
wriggling creature by cutting off its head.
Dick now took his stick and line to try his luck, while his comrade dug
out hook and bait, which had vanished down the eel's throat. Dick
caught a little one in the first hole that he tried, and drew it safely
to the bank. But there he failed to control its wild, sinuous
movements, and it tangled itself up in his line in such a style that
Chippy had to come to his aid.
After that he got on much better, and caught two good-sized ones, and
held them and the line taut, while Chippy sailed in with the knife and
whipped their heads off.
In a short time they had seven, for the holes were well furnished with
occupants, and with these seven they stayed content. They washed them
in a quiet backwater, and rubbed them as clean as they could with wisps
of dry grass, and then packed them in Chippy's haversack, with more dry
grass about them.
'Mek' us a jolly good supper to-night,' said the Raven.
'They will,' cried Dick. 'Now for the road again. We've got an uphill
stretch before us, Chippy, according to the map.'