THE DUSKY GROUSE. 149 



fastening the lamp, with its fishing reflector attached, to 

 the how of the raft, we could see tlie movements of the 

 trout thirty feet below us, owing to the transparency of 

 the water, but the lake was so deep in some parts that 

 the light only revealed a seeming cloud of inky black- ■ 

 ness. In striking at trout, a person is quite liable to 

 miss them, owing to the very deceptive manner in which 

 the light is reflected by the water; hence he has to make 

 a careful allowance for the shadows or he will only cap- 

 ture a fish by mere accident, and that the one not aimed 

 at. The spears we used were purchased from the Indians, 

 who had visited us, for about two dollars each, or that 

 equivalent m tobacco and tea and sugar. The handles 

 were about fifteen feet long, and the iron heads were in- 

 serted in such a manner that they came out of the sock- 

 ets whenever a fish that was struck with them attempted 

 to escape, but as they were attached to the handles by 

 means of cords made of deer sinews, which were passed 

 through a hole, it was impossible to lose them. The 

 great advantage which this weapon possesses over others 

 is, that the fish has no leverage on which to work, so 

 cannot extricate itself, and that the long line attached to 

 the end of the handle enables a man to j^lay with his 

 capture as he pleases, and to tire it out, if it is a large 

 one, by a judicious system of angling, not unlike that 

 used in landing a heavy salmon. Our highest catch with 

 the spears in one night was three dozen, but we could 

 have caught that number in an hour with a hook and 

 line during the day. We preferred the excitement of 

 the more uncertain method, however, to the assured 

 success of the other, as we wanted amusement more than 

 food. 



The whole of the time we spent on the shores of the 

 lake passed in the most delightful manner, for when we 

 were not shooting or angling we were exploring the sur- 

 rounding region or watching the actions of birds or ani- 



