THE PIKE 379 



in deep water — started oft' with a swift sweeping of his fins, 

 as if followed ; then swirled in his gloomy prison ere he 

 looked up through the frosted windows with round anxious 

 eyes. 



Leaving the skaters, I stole off in search of wilder scenes 

 that I knew were to be found in secluded bays of reed, for 

 as in the city often the most deserted spots are nearest the 

 most crowded thoroughfares, and the garrotter grips his 

 victim on the edge of the roaring lusty crowd of life. I 

 passed a " wake " — or open space in the ice — where the 

 swans were swimming like sentries on duty; two coots 

 were also there enjoying the restricted open water, but they 

 saw me coming and flew off. The swans did not hiss as 

 I passed ; they seemed ashamed to express their wonted 

 ingratitude for the care of man. Grebes too were sitting 

 awkwardly on the ice, and water-hens and rails were feeding 

 at the shore rills. 



Going along the ice, I suddenly turned into a deserted 

 bay bordered by gladen. It was very " sheer," and I could 

 see the brown bottom a foot beneath me. " Wind-frost ice " 

 was this, sheer and smooth as glass. Before me two peasants 

 armed with clubs were walking along slowly, looking with 

 keen eyes through the ice upon the bottom. I lay down 

 in the rushes and watched ; a crime was imminent. The 

 figures walked slowly along — two black masses against the 

 grey ice. Presently one stopped and signalled eagerly to 

 his companion, who was a few yards ahead of him, and 

 they both stopped dead, as if frozen by an instantaneous 

 increase of cold. The man nearest to me raised his club 

 quickly and struck the ice a heavy blow, a sharp note 

 sounding through the still wintry air — a cruel blow. Lifting 

 his club once more, he peered eagerly through the ice-window 

 made by his club and starred with a thousand cracks, said 

 something quickly to his companion in an undertone, and 

 drawing a " shutting knife " from his pocket, dropped quickly 

 upon his knees, and began to dig into the hard ice with 



