PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 183 



the tiniest pebble, is as clearly revealed as if it lay 

 in the palm of your hand. But the use of the flam- 

 beaux is strictly prohibited by the laws of the realm. 

 Aware of this, we took the precaution on coming 

 in to secure a permit from the Warden to make a 

 survey of the pools by torchlight, under pledge 

 that we would destroy no fish during the process. 

 As our object was simply to see the fish in their 

 native element, and perhaps thereby learn some- 

 thing of their habits, we cheerfully gave the pledge 

 and honestly intended to keep it. 



The night chosen for this novel excursion was 

 the last of our sojourn at the Forks. It was pitch- 

 dark, and when our six canoes put out in Indian 

 file, illuminated by a dozen flambeaux, the spectacle 

 was exceedingly picturesque. The dense forest 

 loomed up grandly in its impenetrable vastness. 

 The surface of the river seemed a bed of molten 

 silver, and the Indians, as they stood up with set- 

 ting pole or paddle, looked weird and ghost-like. 

 Starting from the upper pool, we floated down 

 more than a mile, salmon at every step showing 

 themselves, shooting hither and thither, aroused 

 from their repose by the unusual spectacle. Scores 

 of fish were seen in pools where we had cast in 

 vain; and even in shallow, swift water, where we 

 never thought of casting, they appeared in large 

 numbers. So long, however, as we continued to 



