"And I'll try my hand at fishing through a hole in the ice," said Henry. He had now become an expert at that sort of angling, and was always sure to come in with a fair-sized mess of fish.
They had now come out on the bank of the Ohio again and went into camp that evening in the shelter of a cliff overlooking the broad stream. Early in the morning Henry went fishing, cutting a hole with an ax which had been brought along. Jadwin and two others went off on a hunt, promising not to go beyond gunshot, in case of an attack.
A gentle breeze was blowing but by afternoon it increased to a stiff blow, whirling the loose snow in all directions. Yet, as the wind was from the southward, it was not cold, and those in the camp suffered little inconvenience from it.
"Do you know what I've been thinking," said James Morris, as he came down to see how his nephew was making out. "If they come in with much game, the best thing we can do is to build a sled and journey to Fort Pitt by way of the river."
"Providing the redskins are not watching along the banks," answered Henry.
"To be sure, we'll have to keep our eyes open."
While Henry continued to fish, his uncle took the ax and cut down several saplings, and began to build something which was a cross between a sled and a rude ice-boat. In the front he put up a short mast.
"Now, if the breeze continues, we can perhaps make use of it," said the trader.
At first Henry's luck was of small account, but then he caught two fish of good size and eight smaller ones, and when he stopped at sunset he was well satisfied with his day's work.
"We've got enough to last us for two meals," he said. "That's a good bit better than nothing."