134 



AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



own rod, if you request it, the boatman will cease rowing, 

 draw his lines in, and let you fight your adversary in your 

 own way, which after all is not much of a fight, and after a 

 steady strain on your rod and reel, he is drawn in and 

 knocked on the head, as just described. 



The number and weight of Pickerel taken in a day's fishing 

 in this way is considerable; though I cannot see that the 

 wear and tear of fine tackle expended on them is justified by 

 trolling for them, with any other than that used by the natives. 

 But to one to whom angling is really "the contemplative 

 man's recreation," the fairy boat, the clear deep water, and the 

 beauty of the Thousand Isles, are suggestive of the far-off 

 times, when the Indian in his bark canoe, the early explorer, 

 the devout Jesuit missionary, and hardy voyageurs passed 

 over the great inland seas and their connecting waters; and 

 strange legends, traditions, and history almost forgotten come 

 up before him. 



