MISCELLANEOUS. 209 



have frequently seen muscalonge weighing thirty to forty 

 pounds, brought into their towns by the Indians during the 

 winter months, that had been speared through the ice, and 

 which the Indians said they had brought from Pelican lake. 

 The same parties told me that six and eight pound bass were 

 1 ' said to be " common there. With such stories ringing in 

 my ears, I fondly dreamed of visiting the lake some day in 

 the dim, distant, threadbare future. The opportunity came 

 sooner than I anticipated, for the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & 

 Western Railway Company pushed its line northward through 

 the wilderness with such energy and rapidity that early in the 

 present season it reached Pelican lake, built a comfortable 

 depot on its banks, and commenced running regular trains to 

 that point. When I saw this announcement I lost no time 

 in procuring a couple of through tickets, checking my tackle 

 and camping outfit, and, accompanied by my wife, started 

 for the happy fishing-ground. 



We reached the lake at one o'clock in the afternoon, pro- 

 cured a boat, shipped our baggage, and, pulling down the 

 west shore half a mile, made our camp on a high bank 

 beneath the shade of several large birch -and pine trees. The 

 banks are walled up nearly all around the lake with large 

 red granite boulders, and the bottom is closely paved with 

 the same material, though generally in smaller pieces. The 

 water is of a dark coffee-color, imparted by the many small 

 streams which flow into the lake, and which in their turn 

 drain numerous small swamps in the vicinity. The water 

 seems pure, however, as evidenced by the enormous size to 

 which the fish grow in it. The black-bass bit finely during 

 the three days we were there, those we took ranging in size 

 from two to four pounds. My wife took one on the trolling 

 spoon that weighed, after being out of the water several 

 hours, four pounds and thirteen ounces ; I think it doubtless 



