mullet jumping out of the water here and there, "acrobats of the gulf,"
Frank called them.

Among other things aboard the motor-boat they had found a contraption
which Frank said was a small Spanish cast-net. It had a row of leads
along the bottom, with leading strings passing up through a central ring.
Frank had read directions how to use this, and he amused himself making a
few trials while Jerry was busy.

At first he came near pulling a few teeth out, for it is a part of the
program that one of the leads must be held between the teeth while others
are gathered up in the hands as the net is flung out over the water by a
sharp rotary motion that spreads it open as it strikes.

The leads instantly sink, covering a space often ten feet or more in
diameter; then, by drawing quickly at the rope, the cords are pulled
through the ring and the net closes in like a purse, holding whatever
fish it may have covered when thrown.

After a few trials Frank succeeded in catching a couple of silver mullet
that had been unable to escape his clumsy attempts.

"I'll get the hang of it after a while," he said, as he tossed these into
the little dinghy where Jerry was taking his place, "but those may do you
for bait this evening, old fellow."

"Bully for you, Frank! Always coming to the rescue. I was just wondering
what I should use, and had an eye on some big blue crabs swimming along
there on the bottom. With the dip-net I might have caught a few. If Bluff
sees them he'll never stop talking about fried crabs." And Jerry pushed