gh to do, time slipped away quickly, and
the middle of March came with its rapidly lengthening days.

"In another month, whatever, Dad'll be comin' home," said Toby one
morning when they were at breakfast. "We'll go for he with the dogs and
komatik. And then 'twill soon be time for the sealin' and fishin'
again."

"'Twill be nice to have fresh fish again," suggested Mrs. Twig. "We're
not havin' any but salt fish the whole winter. I'm thinkin' 'twould be
fine for you lads to catch some trout. I'm wonderful hungry for trout."

"I can be helpin' too," Violet broke in delightedly.

"'Twill be fine, now," agreed Toby enthusiastically. "We'll catch un
to-day."

"How can you catch trout with everything frozen as tight as a drumhead?"
asked Charley.

"I'll be showin' you when we gets through breakfast," Toby assured. "We
always gets un in winter when we gets hungry for un."

"I'm hungry for trout too," laughed Charley, adding skeptically, "but
you'll have to show me, and I'll have to see them before I'll believe we
can get them with forty below zero."

"I'll be showin' you," Toby promised.

From a box he selected some heavy fishing line and three hooks. On the
shank of the hooks, and just below the eye, was a cone shaped lead
weight, moulded upon the shank. Each line was then attached to the end
of a short, stiff stick about three feet in length, which he obtained
from the woodpile outside. Then the hooks were attached to the lines,
and cutting some pieces of pork rind, Toby announced that the "gear" was
ready.

Violet had her things on, and armed with the equipment, the three set
out expectantly for the ice, Toby picking up an ax to take with them as
he passed through the wood porch.

"Here's where we fishes," said Toby, leading the way to a wide crack in
the ice a few feet from shore and following the shore line, caused by
the rising and falling of tide.

The crack at the point indicated by Toby was eighteen inches wide. With
the ax he cut three holes at intervals of a few feet through a coating
of three or four inches of young, or new ice, which had formed upon the
ice in the crack. Then, baiting the hooks with pork rind, he gave one of
the sticks with line and baited hook to Charley and one to Violet.

"The way you fishes now," he explained to Charley, "you just drops the
hook into the water in a hole, and holdin' the stick keeps un movin' up
and down kind of slow. When you feels somethin' heavy on the hook