276 Fish Stories 



Has not some of it rushed down from the great chain of 

 lakes, bounding along, a thing of Hfe and beauty, to leap the 

 falls of Niagara, then, pressed into narrow confine, a bub- 

 bling, swirling mass of foam filled with air globules, torn, 

 rent and tossed by hidden rocks, breaking away to join the 

 placid and gentle river of the north? Where can such 

 water be found, so well prepared, so filled with the very 

 essence of life to bass, muskallunge, pike and perch? Little 

 wonder, then, that these fine game fishes are found in its 

 limpid waters about its rocky islands, lying in the deep chan- 

 nels, or venturing into the land-locked bays where birch 

 and pine are reflected in the mirror-like water, when not 

 covered with mats and draperies of pond lilies. 



Probably these isles of delight have been counted and 

 mapped, but those who know them best prefer to know 

 them least, so far as exact knowledge is concerned. They 

 would rather come upon them every year from different 

 points and so garner new joys, fresh surprises, and in this 

 lies one of the peculiar fascinations of this region, where 

 one may fish from his back window, where the days are a 

 succession of pleasures. I know the country best in its 

 very heart opposite Alexandria Bay, and when I first found 

 it, years ago, islands were not at a premium and but a few 

 cottages were to be had. To-day doubtless every rocky 

 isle has its owner, and nearly all bear the summer homes of 

 dwellers from far down the States and from the uttermost 

 parts of the Calif ornias. 



Our camping island of Westminster is in midstream, sur- 

 rounded by many others. It is high, it is low; it has hills 

 and lofty cliffs ; it has pleasant beaches upon which the gen- 

 tle waves lave and laugh as they break; and it has abrupt 

 cliffs of rock which breast the channel, against which the 

 waves in storms dash, tossing the spray high in air, to fall in 

 crystal drops upon flowers and green trees. 



In one direction we see the broad stretch of river and 

 Canada beyond ; in another, a field of daisies. The forest, 



