180 SALMON FISHING IN CANADA. 



" I have killed as heavy salmon in the Esquemain as in 

 any other river in Canada," said the Commissioner. 



" So have I," added the Priest, " except when I once 

 went there after the erection of the water-works, which 

 this gentleman says do not interfere with the fish, but 

 which I found to present an impassable barrier to their 

 ascending the river, and then I killed only two or three ; 

 but I saw the little urchins from the newly created village 

 stabbing the unfortunate fish with common two-pronged 

 steel table forks, as they leaped upon the apron of the 

 dam in their endeavours to reach the upper pools." 



" f The best fishing,' proceeds the American, 6 is at the 

 foot of the waterfall, which forms a sheet of foam, about 

 one mile above the mouth. My Quebec friend accom- 

 panied me to this place, and though we only threw the fly 

 about six hours, three in the evening and three in the 

 morning, yet we killed thirteen salmon without losing a 

 single line, and with the loss of only three flies.' " 



" He to Moses!" exclaimed the Commissioner : " you and 

 I have fished the river, Bishop, in its best days, before any 

 dam or saw-mill defiled its beautiful waters, and we never 

 did as much as this fellow says he did." 



" I will not deem him completely unworthy of credit on 

 that account," replied the Priest, " for the fishing in all 

 our Canadian rivers is most uncertain. For example, you 

 and I have often fished the Groodbout, and I do not think 

 either of us have ever killed more than five or six fish in a 





