CHAPTER NINE.
FISHING EXTRAORDINARY.
Early on the following morning, Roy and Nelly rose to try the new styleof duck-hunting which the former had devised.
"I wonder if it will do," said the little girl, as she tripped along byher brother's side in the direction of a marshy bay, which had beenselected as the scene of their experiments. "How clever of you toinvent such a funny plan!"
"Well, I didn't exactly invent it, lass. The fact is, that I rememberedfather havin' told me he had read it in a book before he left thesettlements. I _wish_ we had some books. Pity that we've got nobooks."
"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 theirmother out of the Bible--the only book that Robin Gore had brought withhim from the settlements. Robin could read, but he did not care muchfor reading--neither did Walter nor Larry O'Dowd. Indeed the lattercould not read at all. Mrs Gore had wanted to take a few books withher into the wilderness, but her husband said he thought the Bible wasenough 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 otherbooks at hand. But the young people longed earnestly for bookscontaining fairy tales, such as was told to them by their mother; andwild adventures, such as Walter could relate or invent by the hour.
It might have been observed that Roy carried on his shoulder aremarkable object--something like a clumsy basket made of reeds, andabout twice the size of a man's head. This had been made by Nelly thenight 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 havingobserved that there were many ducks, large and small, floating aboutamong 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 hisshoulders, 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 bitof your face."
"See? ay, as well as need be. There's lots of small holes which I canpeep 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'yesee, 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 fewsteps 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, astriped cotton shirt, and a grey cloth capote with a hood to it. Hiscapote and cap were left in charge of his sister. As for the shirt andtrousers, they could be easily dried again.
Nelly watched the place where her brother had disappeared withbreathless interest. As he did not reappear as quickly as she hadexpected, she became greatly alarmed. In a few minutes more she wouldcertainly have rushed into the lake to the rescue, regardless ofconsequences and of ducks, had not Roy's strange head-dress comesuddenly into view at the outward verge of the reeds. The lad had wadedin up to his neck, and was now slowly--almost imperceptibly--approachinga 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 duckobserved the bundle of reeds, and swam straight up to it, animated, nodoubt, by that reckless curiosity which is peculiar to young creatures.Had its mother known what was inside of the bundle, she would no doubthave remonstrated with her head-strong child, but, old and sagaciousthough that mother was, she was completely deceived. She was not evenastonished when her duckling suddenly disappeared beneath the water,thinking, no doubt, that it had dived. Soon the bundle of reeds drewnear to the mother, and she, too, disappeared suddenly below the water.Whatever her astonishment was at feeling her legs seized from below, shehad not time to express it before her voice was choked. Nelly observedthese disappearances with intense amazement, and delight stamped everylineament of her little visage.
When the bundle moved towards the father of the duck-family, thatgentleman became agitated and suspicious. Probably males are lesstrusting than females, in all conditions of animal life. At all eventshe sheered off. The bundle waxed impatient and made a rush at him. Thedrake, missing his wife and child, quacked the alarm. The bundle madeanother rush, and suddenly disappeared with a tremendous splash, in themidst of which a leg and an arm appeared! Away went the whole brood ofducks 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, shewas mistaken, for Roy swam ashore in a few moments with a duck in eachhand!
"O Roy! ain't you cold?" inquired Nelly, as she helped him to squeezethe water out of his garments.
"Y-y-ye-es," said Roy, trembling in every limb, while his teeth rattledlike small castanets, "I'm very c-c-c-cold, but I'm in luck, for I'veg-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 inthe same fashion at that season of the year, he and his sister went offwithout delay to try the fishing.
They had brought a fishing-line and a few hooks, among other smallthings, 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 thepoint of rocks, which had been named the Wharf, the line was cast, forthere 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 Lakehad 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 casein 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, andbefore the child's shout of surprise had ceased to echo among thecliffs, a beautiful silvery fish, about a foot and a half long, laytumbling on the strand.
"Hurray!" cried Roy. "Try again."
They did try again, and again, and over again, until they had caught twodozen and a half of those peculiar "white-fish" which swarm in most ofthe lakes of North America. Then they stopped, being somewhatexhausted, and having more than enough for present use.
Before sitting down to supper that night, they preserved their fish inthe simple but effective manner which is practised among the fur-tradersin 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 tailto 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 thenset 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 fullythan he desired.
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