Part 19 (1/2)

He had hardly finished speaking before Colin rab for his rod, and the catch was repeated in almost the saht, the last one, which fell to the professor, putting up the ht of them all But still it was too easy for real sport

The ripple which Colin had been watching had co of the last fish, the boat had been brought quite close to it

Then, noiselessly, and like a strange vision, out fro ripples rose slowly a creature reen, with large unwinking, glittering eyes In slow contortions, the body, of a transparency that showed the light through, writhed like a tremendous ribbon-snake, and a sharp row of serrated fins surth, from which, near the head, scarlet streamers floated like a mane A moment thus it held its head erect, then sank below the surface The boy sat with his eyes fixed upon the spot where he had seen this weird appearance, unknown and ghostly-see

”Colin,” said the professor, and his tone was so imperative that the boy turned sharply, ”what is the ?”

”I don't know, sir,” said the boy; ”I don't knowuntil it ca to say----”

He stopped suddenly

”What?” asked the professor, a little ih atgreen head with large eyes and spines on its back put its head out of the water,” Colin said doggedly, ”and it had a bright redbut--but,”--he hesitated and then gulped out,--”a sea-serpent”

He half feared to look at his coreet his news, but after a few seconds' silence, he glanced up and saw that his fellow-fisherhtful At that instant the boy felt a quick snap at his line and he struck, the salht, and the fish was full of grit, sending a curious thru sensation up the line that set every nerve aquiver At last he got the fish stopped, and had just started to reel the big salmon in, when the apparition thrust its head out of the water not twenty feet from the boat It distracted Colin's attention, and a few seconds later his line snapped

”The salustedly

”What does thatelse to do”

”What?”

”Catch your sea-serpent,” was the reply, as the older lea,” Colin said, then realizing that his tone suggested that he was afraid, he added boldly, ”but I'ame What is it, anyway?”

”You're not so far off in calling it a sea-serpent,” his companion said; ”at least, it's more like the fabulous monster than any other fish that we know”

”But how are you going to catch it?” the boy asked

”By hand,” the professor replied, slipping off his outer clothes

”Youin after it?” queried the boy with amazement

”Certainly,” the other answered; ”it's harh”

”It doesn't look it,” said Colin, but he was not to be outdone, and prepared to follow his host into the water

They ran the boat close to the creature, which swath, and the professor plunged over the side, holding the loop of a rope A few strokes took hi, ribbon-like form, which was not thicker than a man's body, and he threw his arled weakly, but the professor did not let go, and in a few seconds Colin had brought up the boat He then took the rope, which had been passed around the soft and flabby body Then, ju overboard also, the boy helped the professor lift the fish froht through it

With great exertion, for the creature was heavy, they got it on board, half swae visitor frole and lay motionless in the boat