“You won’t get any fish here,” said Tom.  “There are too many boats around.  I can take you to a place where there are some good perch and sunnies.”

“No, I want to fish here,” said Bunny.  “It’s easy to catch fish where everybody else can.  I want to try in a hard place.”

So Tom kept the boat in about the same spot, rowing slowly about while Bunny fished, and fished, and fished again, without getting a single bite or nibble.

“Oh dear, it’s so hot here out in the middle of the lake!” said Sue.  “Can’t we go where it’s cool and shady?”

“I know such a place as that,” said Tom.  “And you can catch fish there, too.”

“Does everybody fish there?” Bunny asked.

“No, hardly anybody.  And you can’t always catch fish there either, even if you know the best places.”

“Then we’ll go,” decided Bunny.  “I want to go to a hard place.”

“Is there anything I can do where you are going?” asked Sue.

“Well, you can gather pond lilies in the creek, which comes into the lake up above a piece.  I’m going to take you there,” said Tom.  “It’s a nice place.”

“Oh, goody!” cried Sue, clapping her hands.  “Mother loves pond lilies.”

“Well, there’s lots up where we’re going,” said Tom, as he began to row with strong, long strokes.

The creek, as Tom called it, was a lazy sort of stream flowing into one part of the lake through a dense part of the big woods.  Up this creek very few persons went, as it was shallow for most boats, and they often ran aground and got stuck.

“But our boat will be all right,” said Tom, “for it has a flat bottom and it doesn’t lie very deep in the water.  It could almost be rowed in a good rain storm.”

Farther and farther up the creek Tom rowed the children.  The trees met in a green arch overhead, and the only sounds were those of the dripping waters from Tom’s oars, the call of woodland birds or the distant splash of a fish jumping up to get a fly that was close to the top of the water.

“Shall I fish here?” asked Bunny.

“Yes, you ought to get a few here.”

Bunny cast in, and it was not long before he had a bite.  But when he pulled up there was no fish on his hook.

“You must yank up quicker,” said Tom.  “They are only nibbling to fool you.  Pull up quickly.”

“Look out!” suddenly called Bunny.  He yanked his pole up so suddenly that he pulled the fish out of the water, right over the heads of himself, his sister and Tom, and with a splash the fish came down in the water on the other side of the boat.  There it wiggled off the hook.

“You pulled too hard this time,” said Tom with a laugh.

“I’ll do it just right next time,” said Bunny.  And he did.  When he felt something pulling on his line he, too, pulled and this time he caught a sun fish, large enough to cook.  It had very pretty colors on it.