18 THE LAND OF PLUCK

upon you and then as suddenly die away with the vanish-
ing boat, you feel that not the wind but the joyous music
fills the sails skimming so swiftly over the ice.

As you may well believe, these flying, whizzing ice-
boats always get the right of way, for nobody would
willingly come into collision with them. They seem to

 

 

 

THE ICE-BOATS ARE ouUT!
know that their season is brief, at the best, and they make
speed while the ice shines.

Now, there is a new sensation among the pleasure-seek-
ers. Distant shouts of men are heard, and faint crashing
sounds slowly growing louder. The ~¢sbrekers are out!
These, as you may guess by trying to pronounce the word,
are provided with pikes for clearing a way throuch the ice,
so that barges and other vessels may pass. Sometimes
they are rather small affairs, worked by hand, and some-
times are large and heavy, and drawn by as many as