torches were made of strips or rolls of
birch-bark saturated in the balsam gum, which is gathered by the Indians
and used so generally in keeping watertight their canoes.

The three-pronged barbed spears were fastened in long light handles, and
every other preparation was made for having a successful expedition.

On account of the long evening twilight they had to wait for some hours
after supper ere it was dark enough for them to hope for any measure of
success. However, the experienced Indians knew when it was best to
start, and so, after the inevitable cup of tea and the additional pipe
for the smokers, the three canoes were carried down and carefully placed
in the water. In each canoe was one of our boys, and they were of
course excited at the prospect of this nightly adventure. It seemed so
weird to thus embark in this ghostly way and to leave the bright camp
fire on the rocks, with the few watchers who remained, Mr Ross being
one of them, and to embark in their canoes and go paddling out in the
gloom.

Their destination was in the western part of Playgreen lake, where they
expected to find abundance of fish of the varieties that afford
excellent sport when caught in this way. After several miles of careful
paddling in the darkness, where rocks abounded and rapids were many,
they reached a place that seemed familiar to the Indians. They easily
found a sheltered cove, where they went ashore, and, groping around in
the darkness, they soon gathered some dry wood and kindled a fire.
Fortunately the wind had nearly died away, and so they anticipated a
successful night's sport.

The inflammable torches were carefully arranged, and a couple of them
for each boat were ignited. Then all again took their assigned
positions in their canoes, and noiselessly paddled to the places where
the fish were supposed to be abundant.

At first all the boys could see were dark, shadowlike objects in the
water that, after remaining under the glare of the lights, suddenly
dashed away in the gloom.

For fear of accident it was decided that the experienced Indians should
do the spearing, while the boys looked on and aided with the paddles or
helped to hold the torches. The Indian spearmen stood up in the canoe,
and, gazing intently into the water where it was brilliantly lit up by
the blazing torches, were able to see the fish at a depth of several
feet beneath the surface. Some varieties of fish are not attracted by
the light,