166 "LA GRANDE DECHARGE" or LAKE ST. JOHN 



Soon the compression of the main channel of the 

 Discharge, by a nearer approach of the north shore to 

 the island of Alma, quickened the current, though for 

 a space the rapids were light. On this stretch of the 

 journey, and especially near the mouth of the Mis. 

 took, some seven miles from Lake St. John, our guides 

 pointed out what they described as excellent pools for 

 ouananiche, and which have certainly the advantage 

 of being but seldom visited by the guests of the Island 

 House, ninety-nine per cent, of whom rarely descend 

 the Grand Discharge for more than three or four miles. 

 But our subsequent experience at Isle Maligne satis- 

 fied us that we had made no mistake at Mistook, or 

 higher up the stream, in acting upon the advice of 

 our guides to keep for the island all the spare time 

 we had for fishing. 



Both above and below the island we saw several 

 broods of young ducks swimming under the shadow 

 of the firs that fringe the north shore of Alma Island, 

 and neither mother nor ducklings exhibited the slight- 

 est alarm at our near approach. Did they instinctively 

 feel that sportsmen never carry guns in the close sea- 

 son, or, so seldom hearing gunshots or seeing human in- 

 truders in their wild and primitive home, will they be 

 equally fearless of danger in the month of September, 

 when sportsmen with guns and duck-shot ought to 

 enjoy capital sport in any part of the Discharge be- 

 tween Lake St. John and Chicoutimi, as well as along 

 the whole northern shore of the great lake itself ? 



By ascending the Mistook Kiver, which is not a very 

 large stream, a canoe route with very few portages 

 may be followed with the aid of guides, of course 



