Beyond moving slowly away as the coracle approached them, the water-fowl paid but little heed to its appearance.
The boy paddled to the end of the broad, whence a passage, through which flowed a stream so sluggish that its current could scarce be detected, led into the next sheet of water.

Across the entrance to this passage floated some bundles of light rushes.

These the boy drew out one by one.

Attached to each was a piece of cord which, being pulled upon, brought to the surface a large cage, constructed somewhat on the plan of a modern eel or lobster pot.

They were baited by pieces of dead fish, and from them the boy extracted half a score of eels and as many fish of different kinds.
"Not a bad haul," he said as he lowered the cages to the bottom again.
"Now let us see what we have got in our pen." He paddled a short way along the broad to a point where a little lane of water ran up through the rushes.