Fishing through the Ice 387 



to the spot and hauls up the struggling captive. 

 Frequently, when a number of lines are set and the 

 fish are biting freely, two or more tip-ups will signal 

 at the same time. Then the fisherman rushes from 

 one to another in mad haste and there is fun galore, 

 especially if the ice happens to be smooth and the 

 owner of the tip-ups does not have skates. 



I have seen a long row of these lines set on a 

 lake and a party of half-a-dozen dignified business 

 men watching them from the shelter of a fish shanty. 

 One or more wooden arms would dip, and lo ! an 

 avalanche of excited mortals would burst through 

 the doorway like a parcel of boys from school, and 

 speed across the treacherous surface running, slip- 

 ping, sliding, falling, and whooping and yelling in 

 wild delight, till the tip-ups were reached and the 

 prizes secured. Those stately old kings of com- 

 merce were more or less gray-headed, and maybe 

 a bit austere when at home, but they were just frosty- 

 whiskered boys when the tip-ups signalled. Next 

 day they were doubtless stiff as to muscles, and 

 black and blue in spots where the ice hit them ; but 

 they had enjoyed uproarious, healthful fun, freed 

 their minds for the time of all worry, filled their 

 lungs with air that made them new men, and, best 

 of all, they had laughed the laugh that does men 

 good the laugh of pure, clean mirth. 



Exciting and hilarious as this sport generally is, 

 it sometimes ends in trouble, or at least a thorough 

 scare for its laughing votaries. The element of 

 danger enters into it under certain conditions, and 

 it is not alone the possibility of an unexpected duck- 

 ing when some careless person finds an unsuspected 



