FISHING. 161 



But, before they begin to dig, the boys 

 fling themselves down on the ice, even 

 flattening their noses hard against it, so 

 as to bring their eyes as close to it as 

 possible. From some peculiarity in the 

 color and appearance of the ice they can 

 judge as to there being water underneath 

 it, for there is nothing more disappoint- 

 ing, after having dug the well five or six 

 feet down, to find lumps of it coming up 

 full of mud or sand, showing that the 

 bottom is dry. The boys, however, sel- 

 dom make a mistake in their observa- 

 tions, although now and then they will 

 get " fooled" about it, and will find that 

 they have spent a quarter of an hour's 

 hard work for nothing. 



The deeper the snow has drifted on 

 the ice the thinner the ice will be, as the 

 snow protects it during the intense cold, 



