n troubles making holes."

"How foolish we were not to bring our skates along!" cried Randy. "We
could have a dandy skate." Their skates had been left up at the Lodge.

"Never mind, we'll skate some other time," said Spouter. "We're out for
some fish to-day."

It took over half an hour to knock several fair-sized holes through the
ice, and then the boys began their fishing, following directions that
had been given to Gif by some of the older hunters.

"If I catch a whale I don't see how I'm going to bring him up through
this hole," remarked Andy, with a grin.

"Oh, that's easy," returned his brother gayly. "All you'll have to do
will be to jump in and push him up through the hole where I can get hold
of him."

"Thank you, you can do the jumping in yourself. This water is about
twenty degrees below Cicero."

"I was thinking that we could enlarge one of the holes and keep it
open," said Jack, with a serious look on his face; "then all you fellows
can come down here every morning and take a dip." At present they were
obtaining water from a deep well directly outside of the kitchen.

They fished for a long time without getting even a nibble. But then Jack
felt a gentle tug, and, after some little excitement, managed to bring
out a fair-sized catch.

"Hurrah! The first fish!" he cried, holding it up proudly.

"And may he be the forerunner of many more," proclaimed Spouter.

"I want a whale," declared Randy.

Such a catch was an incentive to all of the others to do their best, and
as a result inside of three hours the lads had eleven fish between them,
some of fair size and others quite small, one, in fact, so tiny that it
was thrown back into the stream, "so it might grow a little," as Fred
expressed it.

"One o'clock!" announced Gif, looking at his watch. "I think we had
better go back to the Lodge and have some of these fish fried for
dinner."

"Second the commotion!" cried Randy quickly.

Properly fried, the freshly-caught fish proved delicious eating, and the
boys lingered over the repast while a scrap of those which had been
served was left. Half of the catch was packed away in snow to be served
at another time.

The day had just come to an end when the boys heard a jingle of
sleighbells on the road, and then came a whistle.

"It's Jed Wallop," announced Gif.

"Yes, and he's coming from the direction of Timminsport!" cried Fred.
"He must have been down to the town."

"Look! He's holding up some