A.NUARY, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
7 
Id Albert rose, looking older and a 
;tle stooped; he walked quietly to the 
Ige of the pool. The full moon, was re- 
nted in his serious face. A little fleecy 
oud was gently crossing the moon, 
uietly I went into the tent. 
r HE sun was just edging over the 
hilltop, touching the trees with the 
1 gold of the new day as I came out 
r the tent. 'Old Albert was at the edge 
the stream, — and thrown up on the 
ink an iron-wood pole with a short line 
itached. He was cleaning four bass 
>r breakfast. We started immediately 
liter — steadily up stream, over small 
irries, through the ripples and, as we 
ere anxious to make the fifteen miles 
- Stop-Log Lake by noon, we did not 
Ike time to fish. 
The beauty of the creek up which we 
iddled was exquisite. It winds through 
ie thickly wooded country and after 
aving the mouth with its maples one 
i in the pines all the way. The farther 
b the stream, the higher the banks and 
ie surrounding country till the huge 
ine-covered granite hills are a hundred 
;et above on each side. The cutting of 
iis tract must have been years ago as 
ie trees are now well grown, many be- 
g sixteen inches at the butt. Tall and 
[raight they rise hill on hill as far as 
te eye can see. From the top of the 
ills the view is superb; the numerous 
ikes plainly seen nestling in the dense 
*een of the pines — a paradise for the 
itdoor lover. 
During the entire morning it was an 
ldless change of new water — here a 
ade through a rapid, again a short 
irry round a fairy waterfall, then com- 
ig to an old lumber-sluice-dam, its logs 
oss grown and weatherbeaten, but still 
itact and defying the elements after 
11 the years. 
Carrying over the last dam, at the 
atrance, we were in Stop Log Lake, 
ith its steep, rocky shores, the water- 
ills tumbling from far up the sides 
nd the whole clothed in pine. This 
like is about four miles long and half a 
ile wide, shaped like the crescent moon, 
ie stream entering and leaving it at 
ie extreme points. 
Stop Log Lake is known to the na- 
ves as a purely black bass lake and 
i all the times I have fished its waters 
have only caught black bass there, 
fhile it seems incredible that with big- 
louth bass in the three lakes that feed 
there should be none of the latter fish 
pight in its waters, it is a fact and 
ne of the things that the outdoors man 
nds so often that baffles his past ex- 
erience. 
Paddling to the extreme upper end of 
ie lake we made camp below a “log 
lute”. This slide, made of rough hewn 
mber, is fully a quarter of a mile long, 
ropping from a height of two hundred 
eet at an angle of thirty degrees, the 
'ater rushing down in a fury. The shute 
or the cascade before the slide was 
uilt) has caused a deep water hole of 
hirty feet in diameter at the bottom and 
Tom this are a series of little eddies and 
apids, running feverishly to the lake a 
undred yards below. 
Our camp was on a wide ledge of rock 
between the shute and the lake. 
Lunch over, I took the rod and tackle 
box to try an experiment, long contem- 
plated. Putting on a small spinner 
(double Star size %), I went to the 
edge of the pool and not casting in 
the still waters of the hole, I threw into 
the eddies below, letting out only enough 
line so it could be easily controlled, the 
swift current taking the spinner. 
In less time than it has taken to write 
this there was a strike. Within half an 
hour I had more than twenty. I did not 
keep track — they came so fast. It was 
the greatest half hour’s fishing I have 
ever had. The water being very cold 
and the lake deep, everything lends to 
hardy fish and they did not fail their 
environment; it was sport. 
Going back to the camp I sat around, 
watching Old Albert fixing up, putting 
the blankets out on the brush to air, etc. 
After an hour we took the canoe and 
of these things, but such as I can, I will 
tell you: 
Many ages ago, so many that the mind 
will not turn so far back, our people 
came over the Frozen Waters, far in the 
North, where now the Dog Rib and Hare 
Nations are. It is told that Chibia’bos, 
the mouth of Gitchi Manito, led them 
and that The Master of Life gave him 
a pole of the larch tree, called Tamarack, 
and at the close of each day’s journey, 
the pole was struck into the ground, in 
the centre of the circle of the camp and 
when in the morning it was found lean- 
ing toward the East, the journey was 
continued — how long — who can tell? 
After many wanderings there came a 
dawn when the pole was found still 
standing upright, as it had been driven. 
Chibia’bos then told the people the land 
was theirs, to dwell in plenty and give 
thanks to Gitchi Manito. 
After many ages Gitchi Manito, the 
Evil Spirit, came among the people 
The upper entrance to Stop Log Lake 
went to the lake for what is to me the 
greatest of all sports — trolling. I seem 
to derive more real pleasure out of this 
form of fishing than any other and m 
these lakes with their clean rocky shores 
and deep water, fed by springs, the trol- 
ling is perfect. 
We fished every corner for hours with 
never failing success, till a little before 
sundown we paddled home, satisfied (an 
unusual thing in a fisherman). One pe- 
culiarity of the bass in this lake is that 
they seldom are under 1% pounds but 
rarely over two, running much of a size. 
I HAD been thinking all day of Old 
Albert’s outburst of the previous 
night, and had made up my mind to 
ask him more of the old stories of his 
people. To my question as to his knowl- 
edge of the origin of his people, he said: 
“We of this time know so little of what 
our father’s fathers knew and have told 
us. As a boy I was told many things 
that had been handed down from the 
years ago; It is long since I have thought 
and evil filled the land. Then came the 
day of the great darkness over the earth. 
The people thought the light would never 
return to them. The Evil Mystery men, 
whom the people had followed, looked in 
despair for the light and the people were 
very unhappy. 
At last a great light was seen in the 
North. There was great rejoicing, un- 
til it was found that the light was a 
mountain of water rolling on and on and 
which destroyed them all except a few 
whom the Master of Life had warned. 
These built a Cheemaun (large canoe) 
in which they were saved. These things 
are told by the very old and they are 
true.” 
After Old Albert had finished, I sat 
wondering. I had never known that the 
Deluge was a fixed legend of the Indian, 
but since, I have found many similar, 
well defined legends that correspond with 
our own ancient history. These can be 
verified by the old works of Schoolcraft, 
Catlin and Priest. 
CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 ) 
