ON THIN ICE
   by John B. Walsh

There was never enough time after school late in the fall to check on our rabbit snares. Then when Fonce Pittman and I, John Walsh, got out of school early Wednesday afternoon it was an opportune time to go in over the hills to our snares at the Gulch near Roache's Pond.

Upon reaching the big brook at the south end of the pond, we found it swollen with fast running water. Those who have crossed there know how slippery the slubby rocks can be. With much difficulty, using poles for support, we got to the other side.

When we arrived at the Gulch, we took turns running from one snare to the next to check as many snares as we could so as to get home before dark. We had caught three rabbits and were half way done, when in my haste, I tripped on a slump and went headlong into the low bushes. My razor sharp axe went straight up in the air, and when my left hand hit the ground, the blade came down and almost chopped off my little finger. Blood squirted out and I shouted to Fonce for his help. We tried in vain to stop the bleeding and somehow wrap the hand until we got back home. Fonce tore his carry-all sack in half and tied it on my hand with a string, but the blood didn't stop. Luckily, we still had our mustard and sugar sandwiches, so he scraped the sugar mixture off the bread onto the cut. Slowly the blood began to clot and we decided to get on our way for home.

Half scared that the bleeding would start again, we hurried to save time and took a short-cut across the end of Roache's Pond, crossing the ice on which we should not have ventured. It did cut the distance we had to go and prevented the risk of having to cross the flooded brook again. After conquering the Gulch hill, it was all down hill. We stopped at Mr. Martin Connors‘ house to have the hand re-bandaged.

To this day the ‘V’ shaped scar on the back of my left hand is evidence of fun times and also scary times rabbit catching when we were young. Fonce and I were good buddies then and we still keep in touch now fifty years later, but you know, I have not had a feed of rabbit for a long, long time.