STURGEON-SPEARING. 183 



bait is towed along ; it nears the sturgeon's nose, 

 and, being far too tempting to be refused, the 

 great pendulous lips close upon it ; but ere it 

 reaches the gullet, a sharp twitch of the line 

 buries the hook in the tenacious gristle. At once 

 discovering he has been miserably done, anger 

 and obstinate resistance are in the ascendant ; 

 so he comes to the surface with a rush and a 

 splash. 



The paddler now exerts all his skill to keep 

 a slack line, for the hooked fish would otherwise 

 inevitably upset the canoe ; the bowman, with 

 the line in one hand and a spear poised in the 

 other, quietly bides his time ; then he hurls the 

 spear into the sturgeon's armour-clad back; down 

 darts the fish, but soon returns to the surface, 

 when in goes another spear, and so on again and 

 again, until, towed ashore, it is dragged out of 

 the water with a powerful gaffhook. Large 

 numbers besides such as are thus speared are 

 netted in passing through the narrow rock- 

 channels. 



On the Eraser river sturgeon-spearing is the 

 most exciting sport imaginable. Hooking, play- 

 ing, and landing a noble salmon is an achieve- 

 ment every fisherman is truly proud of; but I 

 unhesitatingly assert that to spear and land a 



