It is true, there was the yet untried lake, "bright, boundless, and free," gleaming in silvery splendour, but in practice they knew nothing of the fisher's craft, though, as a matter of report, they were well acquainted with all the mysteries of it, and had often listened with delight to the feats performed by their respective fathers in the art of angling, spearing and netting.
"I have heard my father say, that so bold and numerous were the fish in the lakes and rivers he was used to fish in, that they could be taken by the hand, with a crooked pin and coarse thread, or wooden spear; but that was in the lower province; and oh, what glorious tales I have heard him tell of spearing fish by torchlight!" "The fish may be wiser or not so numerous in this lake," said Hector; "however, if Kate can bear to be moved, we will go down to the shore and try our luck; but what can we do?
we have neither hook nor line provided." Louis nodded his head, and sitting down on a projecting root of a scrub oak, produced from the depths of his capacious pocket a bit of tin, which he carefully selected from among a miscellaneous hoard of treasures.

"Here." said he, holding it up to the view as he spoke; "here is the slide of an old powder-flask, which I picked up from among some rubbish that my sister had thrown out the other day." "I fear you will make nothing of that," said Hector, "a bit of bone would be better.

If you had a file now you might do something." "Stay a moment, Monsieur Hec., what do you call this ?" and Louis triumphantly handed out of his pocket the very instrument in question, a few inches of a broken, rusty file; very rusty, indeed, it was, but still it might be made to answer in such ingenious hands as those of our young French Canadian.

"I well remember, Katty, how you and Mathilde laughed at me for treasuring up this old thing months ago.

Ah, Louis.
Louis, you little knew the use it was to be put to then," he added thoughtfully, apostrophising himself; "how little do we know what is to befall us in our young days!" "God knows it all," said Hector, gravely, "we are under His good guidance." "You are right, Hec., let us trust in His mercy and He will take good care of us.