to let some sister or friend
take their places. The next day three similar sleighs appeared, but
they were covered with cloaks or rugs, and each had a flag of a
different colour flying in front of it. As each sleigh required several
persons to drag it, nearly all the gentlemen skaters were in a short
time turned into horses, while the ladies were all eager to be dragged
along; so away they all went, skating round and round the lake, and
those who looked on could distinguish where their friends were by the
colour of the flags. Sometimes they raced, and then the excitement was
tremendous. However, one of the sleighs was upset, and the passengers
thrown out, and the skaters sent here and there, some on their backs,
and some on all-fours, to the alarm of those at a distance, and to the
great amusement of those near, and who knew that no one was hurt. Mr
Bracebridge, after this, prohibited racing with sleighs, for fear of
accidents of a more serious character.

It is impossible to describe minutely all the amusements of those
memorable Christmas holidays. A fortnight passed away, and though the
glass-like appearance of the ice had somewhat disappeared, owing to the
innumerable cuts its surface had received from careless skaters, the
skating was continued with unabated ardour. Then came down a heavy fall
of snow, which completely covered the ponds with a thick coat.
Passages, were, however, swept across the ice, but the interest of
skating was somewhat diminished. More snow followed, and then, except
on small patches and walks which, with some exertion, were kept clear by
the gardeners, there was no room whatever for skating. Notwithstanding
this there were abundant sources of amusement. The younger guests were
fortunate in having so good a master of the revels as Frank, the
midshipman.

"Hurra, boys, a bright idea!" he exclaimed, one morning at breakfast,
when some of the party were lamenting the destruction of the ice.
"We'll build a castle of snow; not a puny little affair, but a castle
with high walls and parapets, and a deep ditch and outworks, such as
cannot be captured without hard fighting. However, as we don't really
wish to kill each other, instead of cutlasses and bayonets, and swords,
and pistols, and all those sorts of deadly weapons, we will use good
honest snowballs. We'll build the castle first, and choose sides
afterwards, so that no one will know whether they are going to defend or
attack it, a