138 My Dogs in the Northland 



caught during a few weeks, and then they 

 swarmed in great numbers on our shores. 

 They were caught in large gill-nets by the 

 Indians, and brought alive to the Mission. 

 Their meat when fresh is much superior to 

 what it is when salted. The result was we 

 resorted to various expedients to keep these 

 great sturgeon alive, until we wished to use 

 them. Some of them were ten feet long. 

 One plan was to make a sturgeon pond in 

 some sheltered bay. This answered very 

 well when we had a large number of them, 

 but if there were only a few in that pond, 

 they became so wary and cunning, that it 

 was very difficult to capture one when de- 

 sired. 



A very common plan was to have a few 

 swimming in the lake each fastened to the 

 end of a long rope. These ropes were of soft 

 cotton and from sixty to one hundred feet 

 long. One end was so fastened to the stur- 

 geon's head that it caused no pain or incon- 

 venience. The other end of the rope was 

 secured at the shore. Sturgeon are very 

 powerful fish and are able to give a strong 

 pull. Being thus tied did not seem to 

 trouble them much, and so they gambolled 

 and played as much as usual before us. 



