254 Reminiscences of 



moderately paying interest, and having a large family, 

 and keeping continually a lounging crowd of Indians 

 for occasional use, who fed upon his subsistence, was a 

 good deal embarrassed financially, and besought me to 

 buy out his holdings, which carried the riparian right 

 of fishing, as held under the laws of the Province of 

 New Brunswick. His asking price was $13,000, giving 

 him a bonus of $3000 over the existing mortgage on 

 his place, which being overdue was pressing upon him. 

 I thought very seriously of taking it, considering the 

 value of the salmon pool, but hesitated and let it pass 

 in view of my camp established at the Rangeley lakes, 

 which pretty well satisfied my fishing tastes. 



I mentioned the subject to a friend of mine, who 

 made the purchase, and who turned it over in a few 

 weeks to the now celebrated Restigouche Club for 

 $30,000. This club, starting upon the property as its 

 basis, on a formed capital of $100,000, with one hun- 

 dred shares at $1000 each, and securing adjacent prop- 

 erties, is now the most prominent and wealthy fishing 

 club in the world, composed mainly of wealthy New 

 Yorkers, and the shares of the club when changing 

 ownership now are appraised at $10,000 each, and are 

 only disposed of in exceptional cases. It is doubtful 

 if the Restigouche pool could now be purchased for a 

 quarter of a million dollars. 



In the vicinity is a village of Micmac Indians, who 

 were once a powerful tribe inhabiting the coast line of 

 Southern Canada in the early days of white occupa- 

 tion, warlike and aggressive, sun -worshippers, and de- 

 voted wholly to fishing and hunting. Peaceful with 

 the French settlers, they quarrelled with the English 

 upon their gaining the ascendancy over the French, and 



