hooks of about half an inch
or more in diameter. They were made of white metal, and clumsy enough
to look at; but fish in the lakes of Ungava are not particular. These
hooks were baited with lumps of seal-fat, and ere half an hour elapsed
the success of the anglers was very decided and satisfactory.

Frank hauled up a white-fish of about six pounds weight at the first
dip, and scarcely had he thrown it on the ice when Maximus gave a
galvanic start, hauled up his line a few yards with laughable eagerness,
then stopped suddenly, under the impression, apparently, that it was a
false alarm; but another tug set him again in motion, and in three
seconds he pulled a fine lake-trout of about ten pounds weight out of
the hole. Edith, also, who had a line under her care, began to show
symptoms of expectation.

"Capital!" cried Frank, beating his hands violently against his
shoulders; for handling wet line, with the thermometer at twenty below
zero is decidedly cold work--"capital! we must set up a regular fishery
here, I think; the fish are swarming. There's another,--eh? no--he's
off--"

"Oh! oh!! oh!!!" shrieked Edith in mingled fear and excitement, as, at
each successive "oh!" she received a jerk that well-nigh pulled her into
the ice-hole.

"Hold hard!" cried Frank; "now then, haul away." Edith pulled, and so
did the fish; but as it was not more than five pounds weight or so, she
overcame it after a severe struggle, and landed a white-fish on the ice.

The next shout that Edith gave was of so very decided and thrilling a
character that Frank and Maximus darted to her side in alarm, and the
latter caught the line as it was torn violently from her grasp. For a
few minutes the Esquimau had to allow the line to run out, being unable
to hold the fish--at least without the risk of breaking his tackle; but
in a few seconds the motion of the line became less rapid, and Maximus
held on, while his huge body was jerked violently, notwithstanding his
weight and strength. Soon the line relaxed a little, and Maximus ran
away from the hole as fast as he could, drawing the line after him.
When the fish reached the hole it offered decided resistance to such
treatment; and being influenced, apparently, by the well-known proverb,
"Time about's fair play," it darted away in its turn, causing the
Esquimau to give it line again very rapidly.

"He must be an enormously big fellow," said Frank, as he and Edith stood
close to the hole