noon
So he got the net out and was soon endeavoring to trap a few small fry . He had made a miniature pond a foot or two in width along the side of the river , and into this he meant to drop any bait secured , to keep them alive until wanted . But even the minnows had almost entirely forsaken that shallow at this time of day , for after working industriously a whole hour he had only succeeded in trapping three . One of these he used at once , but it brought no success , for the hour was now near noon . Dick munched at his lunch and watched his floats pensively as the time crept on . Up to three o'clock he had had only one more bite , but he managed to land the late diner , which proved to be at least the equal of his first capture . Then came another long wait .