492 



Forest and str£aM. 



[June 9, 1894. 



AMERICAN ANGLERS IN CANADA. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The first arrivals here of American salmon fishermen 

 on their way to their preserves are expected this week, 

 particularly those that fish the Restigouche and other 

 south shore streams. Lieut. -Gov. Chapleau, of Quebec, 

 will fish Mr. Henry Hogan's river, the St. Anne des 

 Monts. North shore fishermen will start next week and 

 the week after. Messrs. Amos Little and friends from 

 Philadelphia will again fish the Moisie, and the next trip 

 of the steamship Otter along the north shore is sure to be 

 taken advantage, of by a number of American sportsmen. 

 E. C. Fitch, president of the Waltham Watch Co., is ex- 

 pected here in a few days on his way to the Romaine. 

 His namesake, Edson Fitch, of Quebec, accompanied by 

 Mr friend John D. Gilmour, leave about June 9 for the 

 Trinity. 



Most of the members of the large party of trout fisher- 

 men from Meriden, Conn.,, and New York, whose names 

 were given in my last letter, returned on Friday from the 

 club house of the Metabetchouan Fish and Game Club, to 

 which they belong, at Kiskisink. Both in the lake's out- 

 let and also in the rapids above its inlet they had splendid 

 sport. But they all came home and left their tails be- 

 hind them. Not their own "tales," nor their fish tales, 

 but the tails of their fish-tails and fish as well. They 

 were all elegantly packed up in moss and ice, some in 

 wooden packing cases, others in specially made tin fish- 

 boxes, ready to be exhibited to admiring friends on their 

 return home, as evidence and trophies of their prowess 

 with fly-rod and line. And they were such a lot as any 

 party of gentlemen and anglers might well feel proud of. 

 But unfortunately they were all left behind by the train, 

 upon the platform of the Kiskisink station. 



Quite a number of distinguished American anglers 

 went up to their various preserves a few days ago, includ- 

 ing Dr. G. L. Porter and David F. Read and Miss Read of 

 Bridgeport, Conn., and several members of the Nomantum 

 Club, all of whom are from New Haven, and are now 

 upon their club waters near Lake Bouchette. Among the 

 latter are Messrs^- H. Brown, president of the club; A; 

 W. Hnoper, vice president of the club; Chas. E. Graham, 

 S. E. Spencer, Minot E. Chatfield, Fred. W. Ryder, ex- 

 United States Consul at Quebec and manager of the 

 Evening Leader, of New Haven. Four other gentlemen 

 who arrived here from the States by the same train are 

 now fishing the same preserve. This party consists of 

 Mr. George E. Hart, Mr. W. Durand, Newark, N. J.; 

 Irving L Atwood, of Waterbury, and M. M. Drake, of 

 Torrington, Conn. Knowing that they were anxious to 

 kill ouananiche as well as trout, ond that the early spring 

 fishing for the fresh water salmon must then be nearing 

 an end, I urged them to continue on to the Ouiatchouan 

 pool before attempting to seduce fontinalis, which was 

 certain to wait for them, and am glad to hear that they 

 had capital sport there, as also had Messrs. John T. Ross, 

 John D. Giltnour and F. Holloway of Quebec. Exactly 

 as anticipated, the ouananiche have now left the Ouiat- 

 chouan for the season and are reported in the Discharge, 

 where the fishing that usually commenced there from 

 June 12 to 15 is certain to be at its height by the 1st to 

 5th of that month. Tha streams in our north country are 

 already down to their summer level, and the trout of the 

 fountain is rising freely in nearly all of the lakes. Lake 

 Edward, as usual at this season of the year, is yielding 

 very large speckled red trout (Salvelinus) to bait-fisher- 

 men. One angler took 170 fine trout last week in two 

 days' fishing in Lake Quaquakamis, some of which 

 weighed up to 4 and 5lbs. each. Marvelous catches are 

 reported also from the Laurent-de and Stadacona lakes. 



E. T. D. Chambers. 



Quebec, May 29. 



IN DEFENSE OF " RODSTER." 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



What is really the matter with that word "rodster" I 

 have occasionally used in my North Shore letters, and 

 which has has set "Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart" snap- 

 ping at my heels? 



It comes, I learn, from "way back," almost springing 

 from the period when Dame Juliana Berners and Sir 

 Izaak Walton wrote so instructively and charmingly of 

 the gentle art. It is frequently used and figures in many 

 old English works on the meditative art. I have seen it 

 in Forest and Stream long before I ever wrote a line for 

 it, and have run across it in other papers and magazines 

 that make a specialty of outdoor sports. 



Last year some writer under the nom de plume of 

 "Hoosier" sprang into the field, armed cap-a-pie, and 

 hurled javelin after javelin at me with dire intent because 

 I had given expression to the word. Now comes Brother 

 Young in your last issue and files his demur for the 

 same cause. He, however, is so polite and gentle— ever 

 the mark of the gentlemanly sportsman— that I sincerely 

 regret he is so much tattered and torn in running into the 

 word. 



I really can't understand why at this late date there are 

 objections to its use, as I considered it a fixed vocable 

 Although it is not poetic it is pithy, and in addition a very 

 convenient word with which to ring the changes in writino- 

 of the art contemplative. ° 



Fearing some of your readers as well as your complain- 

 ants may think there is no tangible existence for the word 

 in dispute, I give below the definition, which I have taken 

 from the Century Dictionary : 



"Rodster, one who uses a fishing rod; a rod-fisher; an 

 angler." - 



- ln connection with the definition in the same dictionary 



of Sept. Z I8b2: "It is the intention of a number of our 

 local rodsters to leave the city for different streams " 



J^t «, T fe need be 8aid unlea8 ' 1 S ive a few similar 

 words, such as song-ster, young-ster, drug-ster, pun-ster, 

 mal-ster deem-ster, game-ster, lap-ster, fpin-ster huck- 

 ster, road-ster, team-ster, and so on ad infinitum. ' 



CraoiSNATi, O., May 25. AlJSX ' ^^CK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Some years ago I had occasion to put in a word in de- 

 fense of the word "rodster." An English cousin stigma- 

 tized it as slang; and now, through Forest and Stream 

 Brother E. S. Young feels that Brother Starbuck has oSt 

 him as limp as a line after the trout has escaped. Brother 

 btarbuck can take care of himself, and neatly, no doubt 

 I wish to enter a plea for the rodster UDt ' 



I oannot enlighten Brother Young touching the birth 

 of the. term, not being an adept in verbal tocology, but I 

 hold it to be any man's right, or woman's, to coin a word. 

 There is no law against it, and when one considers the 

 liberties sometimes taken with Mother English, one should 

 not be censured for adding to the vocabulary when the 

 addition is not offensive, or violates no known rule of 

 lexicology. That a man should be believed in his calling 

 is a very old axiom. Noah doubtless was an excellent 

 lexicographer, but it does not follow that he was versed in 

 the art of angling, nor that he can lay paternal claim to 

 all the words in the language. 



"Doggy," for instance, is a not uncommon word, and 

 yet I do not find it between the lids of authority. ' 'Daub" 

 is another term, unknown to Webster in the edition of 

 1884, and yet 1 presume that any coal miner who makes 

 his mark could throw light upon it, though the servant 

 girl might fail. "Dawlings" is not a very mellifluous 

 term, it is not in the dictionary, yet I have known many 

 a miner to complain when the vein "pinched" on him. 

 "Dean," for instance, may have another signification than 

 that of an ecclesiastical dignitary, or the head of anything; 

 it may signify the tail, and yet be accepted. 



Will Brother Young give us the derivation of "road- 

 ster," something that rides on the water and is ridden on 

 the land? Is "rodster" not quite as silvery in sound? 

 ' Road agent" is not to be found in the dictionary, but is 

 adopted, nevertheless, as a supplement. He suggests that 

 "rodman" or "rod woman" would be more acceptable. 

 While a surveyor might accept the one or the other, were 

 he a bachelor and she young and attractive, yet Webster 

 has failed to recognize either. For myself I appreciate 

 the terms from away back, having been born and raised 

 in a hardwood country. Raised! I should say! I was not 

 only raised but I frequently raised the neighborhood, and 

 having been the recipient of deserved distinction in my 

 youth, I necessarily retain a reverence for the rodman 

 and the rodwoman. But you see Brother Young is con- 

 demned out of his own mouth, unless he can prove that 

 Cain stood in no need of flagellation, because he must find 

 the root in the beginning, otherwise "rodster" is as 

 sweet a word as "rodman." 



"Sir, here is newly come to court, Rodster; believe me, 

 an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences, 

 of very soft society, and great showing; indeed, to speak 

 feelingly of him, he is the card or calender of gentry; for 

 you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentle- 

 man would see." Lewis B. France. 



ON THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 



(Continued from Page 470 .) 



Otjr predictions relative to the appearance of the storm 

 god wera not realized when we arose in the morning, but 

 there was an east wind blowing that prevented us from 

 making the trip to Sand River which was on our pro- 

 gramme for that day's sport. 



Concluding to take advantage of the disappointment 

 we remained in our quarters the entire morning, devoting 

 the time to a general clean up of camp, airing of blankets, 

 beds, etc., and in gathering balsam for the interior of our 

 tents. The half-breeds in the meantime did the entire 

 laundrying, and to add to the sanitary condition of affairs 

 we all took a bath in the cold and pure waters of the 

 grand old lake, and then donned some clean woolens, as 

 the immaculate linen is not in it when it comes to an out- 

 ing in these wild regions, it being entirely too dudish and 

 uncomfortable. 



After dinner, the wind being favorable and the weather 

 at its best, with the sun in flame of rose and the sky a 

 fairyland in crimson, we concluded to sail to the Lizard 

 Islands, some four miles distant. It was really a holiday 

 to us, and as we left our quarters for the distant isles felt, 

 with Tennyson's voyager, that — 



"We left behind the painted buoy 



That tosses at the harbor mouth; 

 And madly danced our hearts with joy, 



As fast we fleeted to the south. 

 How fresh was every sight and sound 



On open main or winding shore! 

 We knew the merry world was round, 



And we might sail for evermore." 



Our boat cut through the enamored caress of the waves 

 like a knife through satin, and as the pearly froth rolled 

 from her sides it went dancing in silver bubbles with a 

 radiant joy till they lost their sparkle from the submerg- 

 ence of the billows. 



Ned was full of talk and of song, and as he leaned 

 against one of the creaking masts with the bright sunlight 

 beautifying his bronzed features and his snow white hair 

 falling o'er his broad shoulders, while taking in the 

 sapphired sea of clouds which lazily floated in upper air, 

 sang a charming little gem from the German of Heine', 

 entitled the "Lovely Fishermaiden." It thus runs with 

 lute-like ripple: 



"My lovely fishermaiden, 



Oome steer your boat to land; 

 And sit you down beside me, 

 We'll coo here hand in hand. 



"Recline upon my bosom, 



And have no fear of me; 

 With me there is less danger 

 Than on the raging sea. 



"My heart is like the ocean, 



Has storm, and flood, and tide; 

 And in its depths unfathomed 

 Full many a pearl doth hide. 



This was beautifully rendered by the sweet-voiced and 

 silver-haired troubadour, his pure, strong tenor notes ring- 

 ing out o'er the crinkling waves in a flood of delicious 

 melody. The half-breeds were perfectly enraptured over 

 the lovely song, and this time Kenosh literally meant what 

 he said, "No fliee on him." 



The breeze, which had been gentle at the start, now 

 began to show more vigor before we reached the islands 

 making the sails and cordage hum and the water roll 

 merrily from the bow. After passing the first island we 

 had to take a tack to reach the other, and wishing to 

 make it on one stretch, took a "long leg" of about a mile 

 and a half, which brought us to a small pier on the west 

 side. In making this long tack we passed over a reef 

 fully a mile wide which, in many places, was not over 

 three feet deep. 



After tying the boat at the pier'we all went ashore and 



roamed around the island which, for the past two years, 

 has been an abandoned fishing station, but which we 

 ascertained from Peter was to be used again next year. 

 The waters were simply having a three years' rest in 

 hopes they would again produce a bountiful harvest. The 

 rude shanties were still standing, but in a very dilapidated 

 condition. The game on the islands consists principally 

 of rabbits, and these have multiplied so rapidly during 

 the abandonment that in a short walk of about half a 

 mile along a narrow footpath we saw over twenty, and if 

 we had desired could have loaded the boat with them in 

 a very short time. No one seems to care for them except 

 the Indians, and they can always secure enough on the 

 main shore. The islands lay low in the water, are well 

 wooded and are devoid of all picturesque effect other than 

 as mere oases in the great waste of water. 



Tiring of our explorations and the big fat rabbits, which 

 seemed to be always on the jump, we sought the boat, 

 and, hoisting sails, were once more cleaving through the 

 waves that were beginning to freely toss the silvery snow- 

 drifts. The evening breeze had not only puffed them up 

 with proud disdain, but enriched them with a gleam like 

 a diamond's sparkle. Right merrily the bounding bil- 

 lows danced and tinkled to the sweet song of the sea: 



-ever a jovial comrade, 



Who laughs wherever he goes; 

 Whose merriment shines in the dimpling lines 



That wrinkle his pale repose; 

 He lays himself down at the feet of the sun, 



And shakes all over with glee; 

 And the broad-backed billows fall faint on the-shore., 



In the mirth of the mighty sea." 



A short distance from the island, on the south side, we> 

 strike another reef of considerable magnitude, and oni 

 reaching its outer edge it looked so temptingly trouty that 

 we made a few casts with our lures, but nothing came to. 

 investigate them. Again the sails are up and drawn tight, 

 and this time it is a rapid run for the camp, with the 

 snowy frostwork tumbling from the bow in fan-shape' 

 rolls. While gaily bowline along, Kenosh told us of the 

 grounding of the steamer China one foggy night last fall;, 

 on the reef near Maimaise Point. He was fishing then-i 

 near where she struck, and shortly after her grounding; 

 the hoarse winds were howling and the vexed sea vio- 

 lently turbulent, sending the white foam against the- 

 rocky shore with a mournful sound. Her engines were' 

 puffing away for dear life, and her alarm whistle, which, 

 was constantly sounding, could be heard for miles as it? 

 was caught up and carried along by the tempestuous; 

 winds. Not only was the steamer in great danger of en- 

 tire loss, but the lives of the passengers and crew were at. 

 stake. The captain, a thorough seaman, was equal to the 

 emergency, and having some thirty-five hundred barrels 

 and sacks of flour aboard, ordered it all overboard. Away 

 it went over the leeward side in a hurry, stretching itself 

 along the shore for miles. When it neared land the huge 

 billows would lift barrel after barrel, and where the rocks 

 obtruded dash them against the solid walls with savage 

 fury. Many of them burst and their contents lined the 

 shore for miles, giving it an appearance as if it had just 

 been visited by a heavy snow fall. 



When the gray dawn came it disclosed the fortunate 

 escape of the steamer, as w ell as a sea with the tossing 

 barrels in every direction. The alarm at night had aroused 

 many of the Indians at the point, and when the precious 

 freight was seen at the mercy of the waves they gathered 

 along the coast, many of them going up to their arm pits 

 in the cold water to drag out barrel after barrel as it came 

 within reach. The news of the rich booty floating around 

 was carried to Bachewauaung Bay, and then another 

 swarthy salvage corps was on hand with their sailboats. 

 One Indian saved four hundred barrels, another one 

 hundred, while many secured from ten to twenty. All 

 that could of the Indian wreckers concealed their booty 

 in the dense woods, while others were content to allow it , 

 to remain where they had dragged it ashore. One sail-, 

 boat took fifteen barrels of the flour down to Bachewau- . 

 aung Bay, and leaving it unguarded went back for a second , 

 load, which, oh obtaining, returned with it to find their - 

 first load had been stolen. Undaunted and eager for more . 

 spoils, they returned for a third load, leaving a single . 

 guard over their last cargo. This, however, shared the . 

 same fate as the first, as it was taken despite the guard, , 

 who had been adroitly enticed away. The last load,, 

 however, they concluded to stand guard over themselves," 

 and this they saved. Kenosh said that he secured fifteen; 

 barrels, and on taking it to the "Soo" came near being; 

 swamped when near Gros Cap Island, as the boat was al- 

 most buried on her lee side in a smother of foam and fly- 

 ing spume. He was using the same boat we had and 

 stated it was overloaded for such a heavy sea as then pre- 

 vailed, but the flour was so stowed as to enable them to 

 dump it very quickly. 



The China, on arriving at the "Soo," sent the steam tug 

 Annie Clarke with the necessary papers to secure all that 

 had been recovered by the wreckers. The 400-barrel lot 

 was first seized, the Indian only getting a salvage of some 

 $40; and then the 100-barrel lot was taken and the re- 

 mainder picked up in small lots. In all, about 1,500 bar- 

 rels were recovered in a slightly damaged condition. 

 Some 500 or 600 barrels, which were secreted by the In- 

 dian wreckers, were never found, and the remainder was 

 a total loss. The flour was a nourishing booty for Mr. Lo, 

 and as they have a law unto themselves it was in this case 

 put in practice and it gave them an abundance of flour 

 during the fall and winter. 



Two Indians, with twenty barrels of the wrecked flour 

 in their boat, were overhauled by the Annie Clarke and a 

 demand made for the booty, but they defiantly refused to 

 surrender it, declaring they would hold it at all hazards. 

 The captain, humanely inclined and not wishing to force 

 matters to a bitter struggle for the small prize, concluded 

 to let them retain their hard-earned spoils. 



Kenosh said it was a clear case ot bulldozing on the 

 part of the Indians, and that they would have come 

 off their high perch very suddenly if they saw they were 

 in for a fight. 



"Indian no fool," he said, "he no want kill white man." 

 Peter, who could talk English without the "pigeon- 

 toed" twist, said in reply : 



"I would not have given up the flour." 



"What you do, then?" 



"I shoot, that's all." 



"You carry pistol?" 



"No." 



"How you shoot, then?" 



