152 FISH HARVESTING. 



bait hardly touches the water ere it is gorged, 

 and an ugly dogfish dangles at the end of the line. 

 To unhook the thief is a service of danger, unless 

 knocked senseless, and his fearfully-armed jaws 

 are propped open with a piece of stick. But, with 

 all his faults, the dogfish is most useful and valu- 

 able to the Indians, who spear incredible num- 

 bers, split them, and take out their livers. From 

 these fatty livers a quantity of clear oil is ex- 

 tracted, by heat and pressure, applied in such a 

 clumsy manner, that at least one- third is wasted. 

 I was credibly informed that one small tribe of 

 Indians, living on the west coast of Vancouver 

 Island, by their bungling process of oil-making, 

 managed to obtain seven cwt. of oil in one sea- 

 son : surely oil making alone would pay a com- 

 pany a handsome return for a judicious outlay 

 of skill and capital. Several naval surgeons have 

 assured me they had fairly tested its curative 

 powers in diseases where oil is said to be effi- 

 cacious and found it in every respect quite 

 equal to the finest cod-liver oil. 



Whilst occupied in collecting the fishes pre- 

 viously described, the Honourable Hudson's Bay 

 Company's steamer ' Otter ' was about to make 

 her us al trip to Fort Rupert, in order to 



