A few minutes later Charley, no less excited and thrilled, landed one that was even larger than the one Violet had caught, and at the end of half an hour the three had caught forty big fellows, some of which, Charley declared, were "as big as shad."
It was stinging cold, and even with the up and down movement of the line it was often caught fast in the newly forming ice. At intervals of a few minutes it was necessary to use the ax to reopen the holes, and the lines themselves were thickly encrusted by ice.
"'Tis wonderful cold standin' on the ice," said Violet at length. "I has to go in to get warm."
"We're gettin' all the trout we can use for a bit," suggested Toby. "If you wants to go in, Charley, I'll be goin' too."
"I'm ready to quit," Charley admitted. "It's mighty cold standing in one place so long."
"Wait a bit," said Toby. "I'll be gettin' a box to put the trout in, and the old komatik to haul un up to the house. Wait and help me."
Charley busied himself throwing the fish from the three piles into one, while Toby followed Violet to the house, and when he had finished looked out over the bay. Far down the bay he saw something moving over the ice, and in a moment recognized it as an approaching dog team.
"Somebody's coming!" he shouted to Toby. "There's a team of dogs coming up the bay!"
"Who, now, might that be?" puzzled Toby, who ran down to Charley.
"They must be coming here, for we're the last place up the bay," reasoned Charley.