Early on the following morning, Roy and Nelly rose to try the new style
of duck-hunting which the former had devised.
"I wonder if it will do," said the little girl, as she tripped along by
her brother's side in the direction of a marshy bay, which had been
selected as the scene of their experiments. "How clever of you to
invent such a funny plan!"
"Well, I didn't exactly invent it, lass. The fact is, that I remembered
father havin' told me he had read it in a book before he left the
settlements. I _wish_ we had some books. Pity that we've got no
books."
"So it is," assented Nell, with a touch of sadness in her tone.
Both Roy and his sister were good readers, having been taught by their
mother out of the Bible--the only book that Robin Gore had brought with
him from the settlements. Robin could read, but he did not care much
for reading--neither did Walter nor Larry O'Dowd. Indeed the latter
could not read at all. Mrs Gore had wanted to take a few books with
her into the wilderness, but her husband said he thought the Bible was
enough for her; so the library at Fort Enterprise was select and small!
One good resulted from this--the Bible was read, by all who could read,
a great deal more than would have been the case had there been other
books at hand. But the young people longed earnestly for books
containing fairy tales, such as was told to them by their mother; and
wild adventures, such as Walter could relate or invent by the hour.
It might have been observed that Roy carried on his shoulder a
remarkable object--something like a clumsy basket made of reeds, and
about twice the size of a man's head. This had been made by Nelly the
night before. The use to which it was to be put was soon shown by Roy.
Having reached the spot where the experiment was to be tried, and having
observed that there were many ducks, large and small, floating about
among the reeds, he got Nelly to hold the basket, if we may so call it,
as high as she could raise it. There was a hole in the bottom of it.
Through this Roy thrust his head, so that the machine rested on his
shoulders, his head being inside and completely concealed.
"Now, Nelly, what think you of my helmet?"
"Oh! it is splendid!" cried the girl, laughing in a subdued voice.
"It's so awfully absurd looking, but can you see? for I don't see a bit
of your face."
"See? ay, as well as need be. There's lots of small holes which I can
peep through in all directions. But come, I'll try it. Keep close,
Nell, and don't laugh too loud, for ducks ain't used to laughing, d'ye
see, and may be frightened by it."
So saying Roy crept on his hands and knees to the edge of the lake,
being concealed by bushes, until he got into the water. Here a few
steps took him into the reeds which clustered so thickly at that spot,
and grew so tall that he was soon hidden from sight altogether.
He had not taken off much of his dress, which, we may remark in passing,
was of the simplest at all times--consisting of a pair of trousers, a
striped cotton shirt, and a grey cloth capote with a hood to it. His
capote and cap were left in charge of his sister. As for the shirt and
trousers, they could be easily dried again.
Nelly watched the place where her brother had disappeared with
breathless interest. As he did not reappear as quickly as she had
expected, she became greatly alarmed. In a few minutes more she would
certainly have rushed into the lake to the rescue, regardless of
consequences and of ducks, had not Roy's strange head-dress come
suddenly into view at the outward verge of the reeds. The lad had waded
in up to his neck, and was now slowly--almost imperceptibly--approaching
a group of ducks that were disporting themselves gaily in the water.
"They'll never let him near them," thought Nelly.
She was wrong, for at that moment an extremely fat and pert young duck
observed the bundle of reeds, and swam straight up to it, animated, no
doubt, by that reckless curiosity which is peculiar to young creatures.
Had its mother known what was inside of the bundle, she would no doubt
have remonstrated with her head-strong child, but, old and sagacious
though that mother was, she was completely deceived. She was not even
astonished when her duckling suddenly disappeared beneath the water,
thinking, no doubt, that it had dived. Soon the bundle of reeds drew
near to the mother, and she, too, disappeared suddenly below the water.
Whatever her astonishment was at feeling her legs seized from below, she
had not time to express it before her voice was choked. Nelly observed
these disappearances with intense amazement, and delight stamped every
lineament of her little visage.
When the bundle moved towards the father of the duck-family, that
gentleman became agitated and suspicious. Probably males are less
trusting than females, in all conditions of animal life. At all events
he sheered off. The bundle waxed impatient and made a rush at him. The
drake, missing his wife and child, quacked the alarm. The bundle made
another rush, and suddenly disappeared with a tremendous splash, in the
midst of which a leg and an arm appeared! Away went the whole brood of
ducks with immense splutter, and Nelly gave a wild scream of terror,
supposing--and she was right--that her brother had fallen into a hole,
and that he would be drowned. In the latter supposition, however, she
was mistaken, for Roy swam ashore in a few moments with a duck in each
hand!
"O Roy! ain't you cold?" inquired Nelly, as she helped him to squeeze
the water out of his garments.
"Y-y-ye-es," said Roy, trembling in every limb, while his teeth rattled
like small castanets, "I'm very c-c-c-cold, but I'm in luck, for I've
g-g-g-got to-night's s-s-s-supper, anyhow."
This was true, but as he could not hope to procure many more suppers in
the same fashion at that season of the year, he and his sister went off
without delay to try the fishing.
They had brought a fishing-line and a few hooks, among other small
things, from the Indian camp. This line was now got out, overhauled,
and baited with a bit of the young duck's breast. From the end of the
point of rocks, which had been named the Wharf, the line was cast, for
there the lake was deep.
"Take the end of the line, Nell; I want you to catch the first fish."
"How d'ye know we shall catch--oh! oh--ooh!" The fish in Silver Lake
had never seen a bait or felt a hook in their lives before that day.
They actually fought for the prize. A big bully--as is usually the case
in other spheres of life--gained it, and found he had "caught a Tartar."
He nearly pulled Nelly into the lake, but Roy sprang to the rescue, and
before the child's shout of surprise had ceased to echo among the
cliffs, a beautiful silvery fish, about a foot and a half long, lay
tumbling on the strand.
"Hurray!" cried Roy. "Try again."
They did try again, and again, and over again, until they had caught two
dozen and a half of those peculiar "white-fish" which swarm in most of
the lakes of North America. Then they stopped, being somewhat
exhausted, and having more than enough for present use.
Before sitting down to supper that night, they preserved their fish in
the simple but effective manner which is practised among the fur-traders
in cold weather, and which they had learned while with the Indians.
Each fish was split open and cleaned out, and then hung up by the tail
to dry.
"What a jolly time we shall have of it!" said Roy, with his mouth full,
as he sat beside Nelly and toasted his toes that night at supper.
"Yes," said Nelly--"if--if we were only a _little_ nearer home."
This reply made them both silent and sad for a time.
"Never mind," resumed Roy, cheerily, as he began another white-fish--
having already finished one fish and the duckling--"cheer up, Nell,
we'll stay here long enough to get up a stock o' dried meat, and then
set off again. I only wish it would come frost, to make our fish keep."
Roy's wish was gratified sooner than he expected, and much more fully
than he desired.