86 FISH HARVESTING. 



But the great haul of hauls is effected by a 

 most ingeniously-contrived basket, in principle 

 the same as our eel-baskets. It is made of split 

 vine-maple, lashed together with strips of cedar- 

 bark. These baskets vary in size ; some of them 

 are fifteen feet long, and six in circumference. 

 The crafty savages place their wicker traps in the 

 centre of the stream; a dam of latticework on 

 each side reaches to the bank, so that no fish can 

 get up-stream unless through the trap. Another 

 plan, and a very good one where the water is 

 shallow, is to build a little wall of boulders, 

 rising about a foot above water, slanting the wall 

 obliquely until the ends meet in the centre of 

 the stream at an acute angle ; at this point they 

 place the basket. By this plan all the water is 

 forced through the basket, increasing the depth 

 and strength of the current. In happy ignorance 

 of their danger, the fish ply steadily up-current, 

 until they suddenly find themselves caged. 



When a sufficient number of fish are in the 

 basket, an empty one is carried out and set, the 

 other brought ashore ; its contents are turned out 

 upon the grass. Squaws, old and young, knife in 

 hand, squat round, looking eagerly on ; and as the 

 captives lie flapping on the sward, in the harpies 

 rush, seize a trout, rip him up, remove the inside, 



