45 S Notes on Spoi't and Travel vn 



feet when deftly wrapped round your shanks and 

 over your boots. You had better be careful about 

 this, as, if you splash yourself cutting the hole, as you 

 most likely will, it means frost-bite, and frost-bite is 

 a nasty thing, and will spoil your sport for many a 

 day, if not for ever. Having chosen your elbow, 

 chop a hole in it some six inches in diameter. If 

 you are wise you will have cut a sort of paddle from 

 the nearest aspen to keep it open from the fast-form- 

 ing ice. Take the line from round your cap, — whip- 

 cord for choice — get a wand some three feet long 

 from the nearest willow bush, attach, and set to 

 work. If you were in luck with the blacktail yester- 

 day, you will have a bit of fresh venison in your 

 pocket ; if not, a sixpence with a hole in it will serve 

 as a bait, or better still, a fresh glittering slice off 

 a rifle -bullet. Then it is a mere question of the 

 presence of fish, — * catch one, catch all.' Knock 

 the first one on the head, and use his eye for a 

 bait— 



Bait for me only with mine eyes. 



You cannot do better, — and so the sport goes on ; 

 and really it was not bad sport. Often one came 

 across a decent pounder which had to be negotiated 

 deftly through the hole, particularly when you had 

 permitted your line to become clogged with ice. 

 When that happens lay it down, and roll it back- 

 wards and forwards under your foot. 



As far as my experience goes, it was only in 



