208 THROUGH CANADA 



noticed salmon breaking the water in various places. 

 Two Indians in a canoe were drawing a drift net, but 

 the boat rounded a promontory before they made a 

 haul. There were local men on board the steamer, 

 belonging to Harrison Mills and Chiliwack, and I 

 made the round of them in the hope of obtaining 

 information on the angling. Trout could be got in 

 the rapids, a few miles up the river, but salmon would 

 not take any lure. That was the sum of the informa- 

 tion obtained. I tried the captain, but drew another 

 blank. 



On landing at Harrison Mills all aspirations to 

 mount my rod and try my luck were discouraged 

 Nobody, it would seem, had cherished ambitions of 

 the kind before. There was an Indian settlement 

 on the river, and I made my way towards it. A 

 squaw informed me in broken English that the 

 " braves " were away hop-picking. I explained my 

 object, and was directed to a shack lower down 

 stream. There I found an Indian in the ante- 

 penultimate stage of dressing, who bundled on a 

 jacket, and came forward to answer my questions. 



** Any salmon fishing on the river ? " I asked. 



" Yes, with a net," he replied, eyeing the rod in 

 my hand, as constituting part of the question. 



" Won't they take a spoon-bait or fly ? You see 

 them rising," I added hurriedly, noticing his lips 

 beginning to shape a " no " — but it came all the 

 same. 



