FISHING THROUGH THE ICE
With nothing of importance to do and nobody to awaken them, the Rover
boys and their chums slept late the next morning. Gif was the first to
get up, and, seeing that the others were still asleep, he made as little
noise as possible when he went out into the living-room to stir up the
smouldering fire and place upon it a couple of extra logs.
"Hello, Gif! Up already?" came from Spouter, when the other cadet came
back to finish his dressing. "What sort of a day is it?"
"Clear as crystal, Spouter. It couldn't be better."
"Then perhaps we'll get a chance to go out hunting."
"Perhaps." Gif looked doubtful for a moment. "I don't know that I care
to leave this place until Glutts and Werner have gone."
"I don't blame you, Gif. It would be just like those mean chaps to try
to do some damage before they left. They are not the kind to appreciate
in the least what we have done for them."
"Hardly--after the way they kicked up about washing a few dishes. It
made me sick."
Gif and Spouter began preparations for breakfast, and while they were at
this the four Rovers appeared, one after another. The door to the room
turned over to Glutts and Werner remained closed.
"Those fellows are certainly putting in some sleep," was Jack's comment.
"Shall I wake 'em up?" questioned Fred quickly.
"No. Let them take their own time," answered Gif. "With such fine
weather they ought to have no trouble in getting away, and there is no
use of another row before they start."
The lads prepared a generous breakfast of pancakes and some sausage meat
that had been brought along from Timminsport, washed down with a copious
supply of hot coffee. As they ate they cast sundry glances at the closed
bedroom door, but saw no sign of Glutts or Werner.
"Gee! they must be sleeping like rocks," was Andy's comment.
"You'd think the smell of the pancakes and sausage would wake 'em up on
such a cold morning as this," added his twin. "My! but it's good!"
"Perhaps they thought they wouldn't bother us about breakfast and take
it out in sleep instead," suggested Fred.
"Say, did any of you fellows get up during the night to get something to
eat--crackers or cheese, or anything like that?" questioned Gif quickly.
All of the others shook their heads.
"What makes you ask that question, Gif?" remarked Jack.
"Why, I saw a lot of crumbs scattered over the kitchen table and on the
floor."
"Maybe Glutts and Werner got up to get something--" began Fred, and then
a sudden idea came into his mind and he gave a start. "Gee! what would
you say if they were gone?"
"Gone!" echoed the others.
"Maybe they're not in that room at all!" added Jack.
"I'll soon find out!" answered Gif, and, leaving the breakfast table, he
went over and tried the bedroom door. It was unlocked, and he opened it
and went inside.
"They're gone, all right enough," he called out, and immediately the
others followed him into the room. Here they found the beds mussed up
and empty. All of the things belonging to Glutts and Werner were gone
and the single window of the room was wide open.
"That's a fine way to leave, I must say," grumbled Gif.
"Yes, and to leave this window wide open so the room can get as cold as
a barn!" added Spouter, as he pulled down the sash. "Some mean fellows,
believe me!"
"Let's see if the horse and sleigh are gone too!" cried Randy.
In a few minutes he and Fred were ready to go out, and they lost no time
in hurrying down to the barn and the shed. Sure enough, the horse and
sleigh were gone, and the barn door had been left wide open.
"I wonder when they went," remarked Fred.
"Most likely as soon as it was daylight. They probably had this all
fixed last night. That's why they went to bed early."
"Well, it doesn't hurt my feelings to have them missing."
"I'd like to know if they took any of our things with them."
The two Rovers returned to the Lodge, and there told of what they had
discovered. A search around the Lodge was immediately instituted, the
boys looking over their clothing and firearms and then their stores and
the regular belongings of the bungalow.
"As far as I can make out, there is only one flannel blanket from the
bed missing," said Gif. "I suppose they took that along to keep warm on
the ride. They didn't have but one small robe in the sleigh."
"I don't know about these stores," announced Spouter, who had been going
over them carefully. "It seems to me we had more canned stuff than
this--some green corn and asparagus, and also some canned salmon and
sardines."
"I wouldn't put it past 'em to take anything they thought they needed,"
declared Fred. "They are just that sort, and everybody here knows it."
"All I can say is, 'Good riddance to bad rubbish,'" said Randy.
"And may we fail to see 'em again while we're in this vicinity," added
his twin.
"My! but it's a real relief to have them gone," announced Jack. "Now we
can do as we please and have the best times ever," and his face showed
his pleasure.
Everybody felt glad to think the two bullies were gone, and soon they
were chatting gayly. Then, after the breakfast dishes had been put away,
all went outside and there indulged in a snowball fight which lasted the
best part of the morning.
After such a glorious time in the open, all the cadets ought to have
felt in the best of spirits, but it was observed by Jack at dinner time
that Fred and the twins looked rather preoccupied. They were whispering
together, and presently Randy spoke.
"I and Andy and Fred have been thinking that perhaps it would be best
for us to let you other fellows know how matters stand," said he. "Maybe
you won't approve of what we did. Just the same, we think Glutts and
Werner deserve it." And thereupon he and the others related what had
been done the evening before down at the shed. All of the others had to
grin at the recital, yet Jack and Gif shook their heads.
"I don't blame you," said the oldest Rover boy. "Just the same, it may
lead to more trouble."
"If they find out that you did it, they'll probably come here and try to
pay us back," was Gif's comment.
"Let them come," announced Spouter. "I guess we can hold our own against
them. I am glad we did something for them to remember us by, especially
if they walked off with some of our stuff."
That afternoon the boys went hunting again, but on account of the heavy
fall of snow did not go any great distance. They managed, however, to
get two more rabbits, and also two squirrels, and two quail.
"Well, that's something, anyhow," declared Fred, who had laid one of the
squirrels low. "A bird and squirrel potpie won't go bad for a change."
"Right-o!" cried Andy.
"Say, Gif, what's the matter with trying our hand at fishing through the
ice?" questioned Jack. "The deep snow ought not to interfere with that
sport."
"Just as you say. We can go down to the river to-morrow if the crowd is
willing."
The day passed without their seeing or hearing any more of Werner and
Glutts, nor did anyone come to disturb them through the night. Once Andy
awoke to hear a noise at a distance, but he soon figured out that this
was nothing more than a hoot owl.
Ten o'clock of the next day found them on the river bank. They had
brought their fishing tackle with them, and also an axe with which to
chop some holes through the ice.
"Pretty thick, I'm thinking," announced Jack, as they came out on the
ice. "We'll have our own 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 letters!" ejaculated Jack. "Letters!"
"Letters! Letters!" was the general cry, and then the whole crowd of
cadets rushed down to meet the old hunter.