The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-06-01

MONDAY, JUNE |, 1885.
the CENDlE-flSR.


added, "the latest thing in that line
in British Columbis.'
As the gas went out the speaker
unrolled several objects that had an
ancient and flsh-like SMELL" and
striking a match touched one. A
moment later clear, yellow light
appeared, issuing from what looked
like the mouth of q fish, the candle
end of which was thrust into large
bronze candlestick.
"Yes," said the naturalist, :" il is
a fish, and nothing else, no tube nor
oil within, only the fish just as it
came from the water. Take this
paper and read line and become
one of the very few who can boast
that they have read by the light OF
a dead herring"
The light was found equal to that
of candle, and reading by fish
light was an easy matter.
at is curious" resumed tho stu
dent Of nature, "but I have got 80
that il I should see man use him
self as candle shouldn't be much
surprised. The use OF fish as
candle / first observed when On the
north shore of British Columbia.
1 made trip all through the coun-
try for the purpose of obtaining q
skeleton of the rare rhytnai that was
killed off about hundred years ago,
and I ran across some other curious
things we'll worth knowing. I had
lived in an Indian village nearly
week before ! heard anything about
the csndle-fish, and ono beautiful
moonlight night I was standing on
the beach, when I saw something
that appeared exactly like the refec-
ton of the moon, only it was in the
wrong direction. / called the atten-
ton of native to it, and il seemed
to throw him int the greatest ex-
element. TIe cried out 'Eula-
chon!' as hard as no could, and
in few minutes fifteen men we're
on the shore launching their
canoes. There was SO much contu-
sion that / couldn't learn what was
the matter; 60 / jumped into ono
of the boats and of We went. There
were two men in each of the canoes
but ours. One sat in the stern and
padded, while the other stood in
the bow with a curious-lookiDg in
strument in his hand that had not
seen before. 1t looked like an enor-
nous rake or comb, made OF piece
of pine at least eight feet long with
hole for hand grip at the top,
the lower part thinning of to an
edge into which were driven sharp
iron or bone teeth from three to four
inches apart. The use was soon
evident; it was an arrangement for
fishing. The ripple 1 had noticed
on the water was an enormous school
Of fish called by the natives 'Eu!a-
| chon,' and to surround them now
seemed to be the chief object.
"The canoes were swiftly padded
out-until they we're all upon the
outside of the f.h-and then they
rushed at them full speed, each man
| welding his comb like scosp: dash
| ing it into the sparkling mass OF fish
that cleaned like silver, and at every
stroke so thick were they that the
teeth of the comb came up covered
| with impaled fishes. These were
quickly jerked into the boats and
another dash made, and so on, until
finally the school was driven in shore,
and the excited natives lcaped into
the water and fairly scooped them
into their canoes, where their vivid
phosphorescencc made them look
like molten silver. The fish seemed
SO terrified and demoralized that
they Rugged the shore, and if the
men had had a net instead of those
outlandish combs they could have
captured millions where they only
took thousands. The boats were
rapidly filed, however, and in an
hour the excitement was over, and
the canoes were hauled upon the
beach by the exhausted fishermen,
The next morning early the boats
were emptied on the beach, and tho
catch was handed over to the squaws
who took the entire matter of curing
in hand. They seated themselves
about their respective piles, ant
taking sticks pointed at the end.
rapidly strung the fish upon them by
piercing them through the eyes
Then they were taken by children
and placed in the smoke at th,
top of their sheds. There was ne
cleaning or scaling. When thorough
ly dried the fish have = flavor o;
wood smoke. They are packed il
large fails made of cedar bark ant
rushes of various kinds. They are
then slowed away on scaffoldine
made of high poles, and are no
touched until cold weather TIL,
natives called them in our tongue
candle fish, as they not only ca
| them hut Use them IN hnrn az