"Well, that's something, anyhow," declared Fred, who had laid one of the squirrels low. "A bird and squirrel potpie won't go bad for a change."

"Right-o!" cried Andy.

"Say, Gif, what's the matter with trying our hand at fishing through the ice?" questioned Jack. "The deep snow ought not to interfere with that sport."

"Just as you say. We can go down to the river to-morrow if the crowd is willing."

The day pa.s.sed without their seeing or hearing any more of Werner and Glutts, nor did anyone come to disturb them through the night. Once Andy awoke to hear a noise at a distance, but he soon figured out that this was nothing more than a hoot owl.

Ten o'clock of the next day found them on the river bank. They had brought their fishing tackle with them, and also an axe with which to chop some holes through the ice.

"Pretty thick, I'm thinking," announced Jack, as they came out on the ice. "We'll have our own troubles making holes."

"How foolish we were not to bring our skates along!" cried Randy. "We could have a dandy skate." Their skates had been left up at the Lodge.

"Never mind, we'll skate some other time," said Spouter. "We're out for some fish to-day."

It took over half an hour to knock several fair-sized holes through the ice, and then the boys began their fishing, following directions that had been given to Gif by some of the older hunters.

"If I catch a whale I don't see how I'm going to bring him up through this hole," remarked Andy, with a grin.

"Oh, that's easy," returned his brother gayly. "All you'll have to do will be to jump in and push him up through the hole where I can get hold of him."

"Thank you, you can do the jumping in yourself. This water is about twenty degrees below Cicero."

"I was thinking that we could enlarge one of the holes and keep it open," said Jack, with a serious look on his face; "then all you fellows can come down here every morning and take a dip." At present they were obtaining water from a deep well directly outside of the kitchen.

They fished for a long time without getting even a nibble. But then Jack felt a gentle tug, and, after some little excitement, managed to bring out a fair-sized catch.

"Hurrah! The first fish!" he cried, holding it up proudly.

"And may he be the forerunner of many more," proclaimed Spouter.

"I want a whale," declared Randy.

Such a catch was an incentive to all of the others to do their best, and as a result inside of three hours the lads had eleven fish between them, some of fair size and others quite small, one, in fact, so tiny that it was thrown back into the stream, "so it might grow a little," as Fred expressed it.

"One o'clock!" announced Gif, looking at his watch. "I think we had better go back to the Lodge and have some of these fish fried for dinner."

"Second the commotion!" cried Randy quickly.

Properly fried, the freshly-caught fish proved delicious eating, and the boys lingered over the repast while a sc.r.a.p of those which had been served was left. Half of the catch was packed away in snow to be served at another time.

The day had just come to an end when the boys heard a jingle of sleighbells on the road, and then came a whistle.

"It's Jed Wallop," announced Gif.

"Yes, and he's coming from the direction of Timminsport!" cried Fred.

"He must have been down to the town."

"Look! He's holding up some letters!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jack. "Letters!"

"Letters! Letters!" was the general cry, and then the whole crowd of cadets rushed down to meet the old hunter.

CHAPTER XIX

LETTERS FROM HOME

While Gif was sorting out the mail, which included not only letters but also several packages which had been sent by parcel post, Jack and Spouter told the old hunter about the coming of the two bullies to the Lodge, and how they had sneaked away at daybreak.

"Accordin' to that, them fellers can't be very good friends o' yourn,"

remarked the old hunter dryly.

"They are our enemies," answered Spouter. "They did all sorts of mean things at Colby Hall, and when they were found out Werner got so scared that he ran away and never came back."

"I guess their folks ought to take 'em in hand. If they don't they'll be sorry fer it later on," said Wallop. "But I must be gittin' on now, fer I've got to git ready to-night fer a big day's work to-morrow."

"Some day we want you to come down here and go out hunting with us,"

said Jack. "Can't you show us where we can get a chance at a deer, or something else that is worth while?"

"Wot's the matter with stirrin' up a bear?" replied the old hunter, with a grin, his eyes twinkling.

"That would suit me to a T!" exclaimed Randy.

"Trot out your bears and we'll polish 'em off!" added his twin.

"Not many bears 'round here," announced Jed Wallop. "But you might strike something jest as bad, especially if the snow keeps on gittin'

deeper. The wolves in this neighborhood git mighty pestiferous when they can't git nothin' to eat."

"Wolves!" exclaimed Fred. "Gee! I don't know that I want to run up against a savage wolf."

After promising to come down and see them during the following week, Jed Wallop drove off, leaving the boys to return to the Lodge and look over their letters and parcel post packages.

"Here is a letter from mother, and it encloses a letter from dad!" cried Jack, as he glanced over the epistle.

"I've got a letter from Mary," said Fred. "And here is one from May Powell, too."

"Who is your second letter from, Jack?" queried Spouter.

"Oh, never you mind about that."

"Looks as if it might be in Ruth Stevenson's handwriting," said Andy, with a grin.

There were letters for everybody. Two of the packages were from the Rover boys' homes, and the third had been sent to Spouter by his mother.