72 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1770. together, we were in great want of provisions ; we seldom, 

 ^^^Sh'. however, went to bed entirely supperless [15] till the eighth of 

 March ; when though we had only walked about eight miles 

 that morning, and expended all the remainder of the day in 

 hunting, we could not produce a single thing at night, not 

 even a partridge ! nor had we discerned the track of any thing 

 that day, which was likely to afford us hopes of better success 

 in the morning. This being the case, we prepared some hooks 

 and lines ready to angle for fish, as our tent was then by the 

 side of a lake belonging to Seal River, which seemed by its 

 situation to afford some prospect of success. 

 9th. Early in the morning we took down our tent, and moved 

 about five miles to the West by South, to a part of the lake 

 that seemed more commodious for fishing than that where 

 we had been the night before. As soon as we arrived at this 

 place, some were immediately employed cutting holes in the 

 ice, while others pitched the tent, got firewood, &c. ; after 

 which, for it was early in the morning, those who pitched 

 the tent went a hunting, and at night one of them returned 

 with a porcupine,^ while those who were angling caught several 

 fine trout, which afforded us a plentiful supper, and we had 

 some trifle left for breakfast. 



Angling for fish under the ice in winter requires no other 

 process, than cutting round holes in the ice from one to two 

 feet diameter, and letting down a baited hook, which is always 

 kept in motion, not only to [16] prevent the water from freez- 

 ing so soon as it would do if suffered to remain quite still, but 

 because it is found at the same time to be a great means 

 of alluring the fish to the hole ; for it is always observed that 

 the fish in those parts will take a bait which is in motion, 

 much sooner than one that is at rest. 

 19th. Early in the morning we again pursued our angling, and 

 all the forenoon being expended without any success, we took 



P Erethizon dorsatuin (Linn.). Near the extreme northern limit in this 

 quarter. — E. A. P.] 



