506 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 11, 1888, 



THE STRAITS OF GEORGIA. 



A T this season of the year the wearied business man of 

 the city is making preparations to leave the heat, 

 dust and turmoil behind him and go where he can have 

 pure air, rest and recreation. 



The Straits of Georgia, between the northerly part of 

 Vancouver Island and the mainland— with its thousands 

 ■of islands and innumerable channels, arms and inlets, its 

 bright, bracing atmosphere, clear transparent waters, 

 grand scenery, with unrivaled attractions for those who 

 are fond of sports with the rod and gun— is truly a fairy 

 land, and in a short time will be the grand camping 

 ground for Eastern tourists. 



The waters there teem with water-fowl and trout, sal- 

 mon, halibut, cod and other kinds of sea fish. On the 

 islands and mainland are ruffed and blue grouse, two 

 varieties of quail, blacktail deer, bears, lynx, coons, 

 beavers, a few panthers, wolves and wolverines; and in . 

 some localities there are elk, caribou, silvertip or grizzly 

 bear and bighorn sheep. On all of the high, grassy plots 

 and bare spots, well up on the southern sides of the 

 mountains, on the mainland near the inlets, that easiest 

 kind of game to kill after you have reached their feeding 

 grounds, the mountain goat, are found in large numbers. 



The arms and inlets of this locality are quite narrow 

 and are bordered on both sides with lofty and in many 

 cases snow-capped mountains. The waters are deep and 

 the shores indented with numerous bays, the ideal spot 

 for the canoeist and sportsman — an inexhaustible field of 

 exploration for those who are in search of beautiful nature 

 in her noblest forms. Inmidday, fromMay 1 to Nov. 1, the 

 temperature is from 60° to 65° or 70° in the shade, and at 

 night it is cool enough to make a heavy blanket comfort- 

 able while sleeping. The rainfall is very light during 

 these months and the days are usually cloudless. 



For the benefit of those who wish to visit these waters 

 and forests I will give a brief outline of a route for a two 

 months' cruise with skiff or canoe. The expense for a 

 party of four or five persons, from say New York and 

 return, should not exceed $350 each. The route that I 

 give is one of constant changing scenery of the most 

 magificent kind in the world, over waters, as I have 

 before stated, teeming with fish, bordered by forests full 

 of game, etc. Buy return tickets via the C. P. R. from 

 Montreal to Vancouver, B. C. This route will give 500 miles 

 of mountain scenery, through the Eocky, Selkirk, gold- 

 bearing and coast range of mountains. At Vancouver 

 take the steamer Robert Dunsmuir on Monday, Thursday 

 or Friday for Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. At Nan- 

 aimo we have always found a clean bed at the Central 

 Hotel; there may be other clean beds hi town, but we 

 speak only from what we know, and while in that coun- 

 try we prefer to run no chances, and never camp on an 

 old Indian camping ground— not if we know it. 



There are two parties hi Nanaimo who keep boats for 

 hire. We recommend the one in the old boat house 

 nearest the wharf. The owner of this place is a boat 

 builder, and will rent out a good cedar skiff — or gig, as 

 they are called there — complete with sail, etc., for $15 a 

 month, or he will get you a Si wash canoe, which is a 

 good seaworthy boat. Either of these craft will carry 

 four men and camping outfit. This man will also get 

 you a good boatman for $25 a month. We would advise 

 the tourist to call on Mr. J. H. Please, hardware dealer, 

 a courteous gentleman who will do all in his power to 

 assist in making your outfit complete. Regarding outfit, 

 take whatever eatables and fluids you fancy or desire, 

 but bring with you a light, roomy tent or tents> heavy 

 blankets, a sheet-iron stove, with furniture, two fishing 

 rods, one a light fly-rod and the other a stiff one for troll- 

 ing. The salmon are caught with a spoon bait or by 

 spinning a minnow in the salt water, and grilse are taken 

 in the streams with a spoon fly. Small dark-colored flies 

 are of no use in these waters; also bring cod lines for 

 deep sea fishing. Regarding guns for feathered game, I 

 prefer the three barrel, for the hunter when after grouse 

 is liable at any moment to mee t large game, deer or black 

 bear. Then bring a good i-ifle, say a .45-70, as you can 

 get this ammunition at any trading post, and this size 

 rifle is a powerful weapon— just the thing for the moun- 

 tains, and. in the canons it is when backed by a good 

 nerve, sure medicine for the "silver tip," though I 

 would strongly advise the average tourist to hunt the 

 grizzly with a big bear trap, d la Rainsford: (1.) Catch 

 him, (2.) shoot him, (8.) brag about it through the press. 



Now for the route. Leave Nanaimo for Jervis Inlet. 

 There are two routes by which to reach this inlet; first, 

 go across the strait nineteen miles to Trail Bay, where 

 there is an easy trail of 1,100yds. into Porpoise Bay at the 

 head of Seechelt Inlet, which runs into Jervis Inlet. The 

 second route is via Agamemnon Chan uel , which is twenty- 

 five miles from Nanaimo. I would advise tourists to get 

 a small steamboat to take their outfit to either Trail Bay 

 or to the Channel Islands at the mouth of Agamemnon 

 Channel, though the party could in small boats run across 

 to the mainland via BalUnas Islands to Lasquati Island, 

 then past Texada Island to Thormanhy Inland to the 

 mainland, then up the coast to Channel Islands, or down 

 the coast to Trail Bay, then portage over into Porpoise 

 Bay, then down Seechelt Inlet eight miles to the Salmon 

 Arm, which is ten miles in length and comes into the 

 inlet from the northeast. The scenery on this arm is fine, 

 and good fishing can be had in the Clowham River, which 

 comes into the head of the arm. A few miles further 

 down the inlet is the Narrows Arm, which comes in from 

 the north and is eight miles in length. The head of this 

 arm closely resembles a human hand with the fingers, 

 minus the thumb, outstretched. Tyoony River flows in 

 at the third finger. Here is good fishing and shooting. 

 The tide runs into this arm at about four miles an hour. 

 Four miles further down the inlet are the rapids, which 

 are best passed just as the tide begins to ebb. Then 

 another five miles brings us to the upper end of Agamem- 

 non Channel. Away to the right N. N. E. is the broad 

 arm of J ervis Inlet. For the first fifteen miles it is called 

 Prince of Wales Reach, then for the next ten miles it is 

 Princess Royal Reach. Here to the right the bighorn 

 sheep are found and goats are on all of the mountains. 

 Then comes the Queen's Reach,with Princess Louise Inlet 

 coming in from the right. 



The scenery is here something grand to behold. At 

 the head of Queen's Reach is Mount Victoria, 7,452 ft. 



above the surface of the water. Up the valley to the left 

 of Mt. Victoria is a good game country, and to the left of 

 this valley is Mt. Alfred, 8,456ft. high. The old Indian 

 trail up this valley leads to Desolation Strait, two days' 

 travel. You return through Prince of Wales Reach, 

 then north of Nelson's Island into Malaspina Strait, then 

 up the strait, skirting the shores of the mainland for 

 twenty-five miles to Point Sarah, then to the right south- 

 east you are in Malaspina Inlet. Go up this inlet five 

 miles, then to the left a couple of miles up Lancelot In- 

 let, and you are at Theodosia Arm, which comes in from 

 E.N.E. There are very high falls up the stream that 

 comes into the head of this arm. 



Returning to Point Sarah, then on northeast two 

 miles up Desolation Sound, with Redonda Islands and 

 lofty mountains to the left, and we arrive at Forbes 

 Bay, which is south of Mt. Denman, 6,600ft. high. Back 

 from the bay and along the southern base of Mt. Den- 

 man is the home of the famed "silver tip*' and other 

 large game. Four miles from Forbes Bay brings us to 

 Atwood Bay, and another mile to Brettell Point. Here 

 we enter the waters of Toba Inlet, which extends back 

 northeast some eighteen miles into the mainland. Eight 

 miles up the inlet on the left is Salmon Bay, with Mt. 

 Barner, 6,090ft. high, to the northeast. The eastern 

 slope of this mountain is a good sheep ground, and the 

 river flowing into the head of the inlet is full of trout 

 and salmon. 



In returning keep to the right past Brettell Point, 

 through Pryce Channel, past Deer Channel, which comes 

 in from the southwest around Raya Island and three 

 miles north-northwest up Calm Channel to the right of 

 Valdes Island, and we arrive at the celebrated Bute Inlet, 

 which comes in from the north-northeast. 



This inlet is nearly forty milrs in length and hemmed 

 in on both side by lofty and precipitous mountains. The 

 highest are the Needle Mountains, which are on the east 

 side of the inlet about twenty miles from its entrance. 

 At the head of the inlet is Mt. Evans, 7,000ft. high. Ho- 

 malko River flows into the head of the inlet, and like all 

 other streams in that vicinity affords good fishing. Up 

 this river is a famous country for bear, elk, caribou, deer, 

 etc., with sheep and goat on Mt. Evans. Seven miles 

 from the head of the inlet on the northwest s-ide is Bear 

 River and Bear Bay, with Mt. Smith at the back, 7,544ft. 

 high. At the mouth of the inlet to the southwest is 

 Valdes Island, which is twenty-five miles in length by 

 ten in breadth. Elk are found in large numbers on this 

 island. 



There are hundreds of small islands between Valdes 

 Island and the entrance to Bute and Toba Inlets. It 

 would take years to explain them all. Gold, silver and 

 copper ores are found on many if not all of these islands. 



Going up the channel northwest from Bute Inlet to the 

 end of Valdes Island, turn to the right into Frederick 

 Arm, which is five miles long. At the head of this arm 

 you can pass to the right into Estero Basin, where fine 

 oysters are found at low tide in 8ft of water. North of 

 this basin, in the immediate vicinity, are excellent hunt- 

 ing grounds. For a hundred miles northwest from Fred- 

 erick Arm it is a perfect maze of channels, inlets and 

 arms, with thousands of islands. One of the largest in- 

 lets is Knight's Inlet, which is 60 miles long by 1} miles 

 broad. The average width of the inlets already men- 

 tioned is about one mile, with deep water. 



A few Siwash Indians are found in this locality. They 

 are quiet, and good hunters and expert canoe men. In 

 many places along the coast they will not venture far among 

 the mountains unless they are accompanied by a white 

 man, for fear that they will be destroyed by an evil Bpirit 

 that roams in the mountains ready to make meat of any 

 Siwash that he may find there unprotected by the white 

 man. These Indians are quite different from the Indians 

 of the plains; they closely resemble Japanese in general 

 appearance, and as a class are inveterate thieves and 

 cowards, and need to be watched, but not to be feared. 



Stanstead. 



HlGHGATB, Vt. 



TROUTING ON THE SOUTH BOARDMAN. 



[Concluded from Page W9.] 



FRED, who was a gilt-edged raconteur, could take the 

 most simple fact and after he had woven his web 

 of fiction around it a few times, it would never be re- 

 cognized as coming from its original sources. He stated 

 that while trouting on one occasion a few years ago on 

 Fox River in the Northern Peninsula of Michigan, he 

 had an adventure that was as laughable as it was ex- 

 citing. 



I give his own language as near as possible: "I started 

 one morning by myself from camp to trv my luck with 

 the rod. Making a short detour I struck the river so as 

 to have about three miles of fishing. It was a cloudy 

 and tnuggy day ana I felt that I would catch all the 

 trout I could carry. As soon as I waded in the stream 

 the trout took my hook the moment it touched the water 

 and I pulled them out right and left all the way down, 

 not catching a single fish under a pound, and many as 

 large as 41bs. I filled my creel, all my pockets and several 

 strings which I kept tied to my belt. I was really a 

 walking trout preserve. Having about 100, and as I was 

 no trout hog I concluded to go ashore and rest a while 

 before returning to camp. Seeing an inviting stump 

 alongside a heavy clump of bushes that cast a grate- 

 ful shade, I approached it, and as I sat down upon it, it 

 began to crumble as I thought from merei'ottenness, and 

 I therefore took a seat on the grass by its side. I had 

 sat here but a moment or two before I got a frightened 

 glimpse of a bear's head over my shoulder. It now 

 struck me that I had sat upon a bear instead of a stump 

 and I was so paralyzed with fear that I lost all strength 

 and the cold perspiration freely oozed out from every 

 pore. I expected every minute to feel his sharp claws 

 searching my anatomy and the work of mastication 

 commence. My whole life now flashed before me dis- 

 tinctly, and I began to wish I had never been other 

 than a saint. The suspense was so great that I was fear- 

 ful I Avould swoon, when all at once I felt the bear nos- 

 ing around my creel. A happy thought at this auspi- 

 cious moment flashed upon me like lightning. The bear 

 fortunately was an epicurian and preferred trout to 

 human flesh. Escape now seemed possible, and my 

 strength of body and mind began to rapidly return. I 

 now carefully took a 31b. trout out of my pocket, as that 

 was the handiest, and held it over my shoulder. The 

 bear at once took it, and as he munched it purred like 



a contented cat well pleased with the menu. That trout 

 soon disappeared and then I passed over another four- 

 pounder." 



"Another four-pounder, Fred?" and then I began to 

 think of Falstaff and his men in buckram. 



"Yes, another four-pounder," he answered, and then he 

 glowered upon me with something of disdain in his ex- 

 pression. 



"Well," he continued, "I fed that bear trout after 

 trout, until feeling somewhat reassured I thought I would 

 take a glance at the recipient of my bounty, so I slowly 

 turned my head as he was feasting, and much to my 

 amazement discovered that he was perfectly blind. I 

 carefully arose now, and placing a dozen or two of trout 

 at his feet, I gently walked off and stepping into the stream 

 pursued my course to camp. I never told this strange 

 adventure to my associate campers, for I was satisfied 

 they would set me down as an ingenious liar." 



"Why do you relate it now?" 



This interrogation appeared to worry him, but after he 

 had played battledore and shuttlecock with it for a while, 

 he smiled upon me and said with great confidence, "be- 

 cause he wanted some gentleman aside from himself to 

 have knowledge of such an exciting event that it might 

 possibly form an interesting chapter in natural history," 



With as much politeness as I possibly could, I hinted 

 that he was simply on a blind lay, and bagged only blind 

 game, and asked afterward if he ever caught a blind 

 trout. At this the guide laughed, and Fred looked some- 

 what disconcerted, thinking doubtless and truthfully that 

 we believed he was romancing. He, however, drew the 

 long bow no more on that trip that we knew of, for his 

 talk after this blind affair was more plausible. 



The lunch being dispatched we sent the guide ahead 

 with the boat, and wading into the stream commenced 

 the work of enticing the trout. I let Fred get the advance 

 of me some distance and then had both sides of the 

 stream as before. 



As I wound my joy-inspiring way along the river, I 

 was ever alert for the radiant trout, and enticed many a 

 one to my quivering bait and to my creel. I knew my 

 companion would hang his banner on high if he badly 

 defeated me, and therefore I worked with might and 

 main, passing no tempting spot unfished that I thought 

 contained the quarry. As I waded around a sloping 

 bank, thick with sedate alders, my eyes were gladdened 

 with a sight of a little boy and girl sitting on a log under 

 the shade of a spreading oak. The girl had a bright and 

 winsome look, with curls of gold and cheeks like apples, 

 and wore a straw hat aslant on her yellow hair that gave 

 her decidedly a prepossessing appearance. Her bare- 

 footed brother with his bright eyes, sunny face and rustic 

 costume was as picturesque as a shepherd boy. The little 

 people so attracted me that I waded ashore to have a chat 

 with them. The boy eyed me keenly as I approached, 

 and asked if I had many trout, and if I were fishing with 

 a fly. I opened my basket and let the children take a 

 peep at the golden-hued fish, and then confessed to the 

 boy that I was one of those contemptible bait-fishermen. 

 He then told me that he had some fifteen trout in his fish 

 box, which was fastened in the water near by, and that 

 he wished to dispose of them, but he said that he always 

 had poor luck in selling to the bait-fishermen, as they 

 always caught enough to satisfy themselves. 



"You don't sell to fly- fishermen ?" I inquired. 



"Oh! yes, sir, quite frequently." 



1 1 And why to them ?" 



"Because at this season of the year they hardly catch 

 any." 



"I'm surprised that these high-art anglers would buy 

 trout." 



"They do, though, but they alway tell me not to give 

 'em away." 

 "Do you?" 



"I can't, for I don't live fh town. My home is down 

 by the bridge." 



"Do you ever sell any to bait-fishermen." 



"Very seldom, they always have 'em." 



Here the little girl quickly spoke up and said: "Last 

 season he sold a lot to one." 



"How was that ?"' 



" Why, you see," said the lad, "there were two men 

 trouting here. The first one that passed was fishing so 

 hard that he paid no attention at all to us, only saying 

 'Good morning, children,' and then hurried on. After a 

 while his partner came along, and as he passed close to 

 me I asked him if he didn't want to buy some trout. At 

 this he smiled and came ashore and inquired how many 

 I had. I told him twenty-five. He laughed right out 

 and said: 'Get 'em quick ! ' I pulled my bxx ashore, and 

 as I put them in his basket he smiled and laughed all 

 over saying: 'I'll snow him under now ! ' I didn't know 

 what that meant then, but papa explained that he wanted 

 to beat his partner. He never asked the price of 'em, 

 but putti ng his hands in his pockets he drew out some 

 money and gave me three dollars, and then tossed one to 

 sis, saying, 'That's for you, little bright eyes,' and then he 

 was gone like a flash, fishing as he went. Oh! he was 

 such a handsome man. He had a gold chain around his 

 neck and something on his little finger that sparkled like 

 the sun. Papa said it was a diamond, and learned down 

 at the tavern that he was a big banker from the East. 

 Sis and I will never forget him." 



"Did you ascertain whether he snowed his partner 

 under ? " 



"Oh, yes; papa learned all about it, and said he beat 

 him badly, and plagued him a great deal about it." 



I was perfectly delighted with the conversation I had 

 with the children, but as I was not in for the purchase of 

 trout I told the little girl if she would give me a kiss I 

 would give her a dollar. The little boy's eyes were all 

 a sparkle at this, and turning quickly to his little sister 

 he said: 



"Sis, kiss the nice gentleman." 



The Mttle elfin then cheerfully got upon the outer end 

 of the log near the water, and as she removed her straw 

 hat her bright curls gracefully flowed over her nut brown 

 shoulders, and the sun which struck this part of the 

 oaken trunk bathed her head in crimson and gold, thus 

 giving her the appearance of a "little fairy queen that 

 gamboll'd on heaths ana danced on ev'ry green." As I 

 presented my bronzed and furrowed face with heavy 

 beard and thick moustache, she bent forward and her 

 sweet little innocent lips gave me a hearty kiss that I 

 prized more highly than if it had been from the rosy 

 mouth of maiden royal. 



"Here's your dollar, Bis, and one for you, bub," suiting 



