232 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



as to be furnished with broad barbs on the inner 

 sides. There is a space of about six inches be- 

 tween the points of the jaws, which project an inch 

 or two beyond the end of the iron spike, but the 

 barbs are not more than a couple of inches apart ; 

 beyond and inside the barbs the jaws open out 

 again to a breadth of about four or five inches. 

 When a fish is fairly struck, the wooden jaws ex- 

 pand, the iron spike transfixes him, the weight of 

 the blow forces him up above the barbs, and the 

 jaws, closing in again, hold him as fast as though he 

 were in a vice. This kind of spear is very light and 

 handy. It holds a salmon as securely as any lyster, 

 and it does not gash and mangle the fish. The 

 material for the wooden portion of our spear was 

 not difficult to procure, but we were puzzled to 

 find anything that would do for the indispensable 

 iron spike, and at last had to make up our minds to 

 sacrifice the handle of the frying-pan. No sooner 

 said than done. In a few minutes the rivets were 

 knocked out, and the handle stuck in the embers of 

 the fire. While some of us were manufacturing 

 the spike by beating out the handle on an axe-head 

 and afterwards grinding it to a sharp point on a 

 smooth stone, one of the Indians was hard at work 

 making the pole and jaws with his hatchet and 



