The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-18
FISH SPEARiNG.
The Winter Sport of the Indians of North
ern Wisconsin.

I
| ern Wisconsin.
About thirty years ago was stranded
by the severe winter weather, which
put a stop to navigation, at the old
army station of Green Bay, now a
fiourishing city in the great State of
i Wisconsin, at the mouth of the Fox
river-at the southwestern extremity
of long arm of Lake Michigan. 1
! had frequently noticed on Fox river a
curious lot of black dots on the ice, in
the retired hooks and coves along the
father shore. What are they?" 1
asked; and the invariable reply was:
They are Indians fishing" This puz-
zled me still more, and l resolved to
investigate. So one day 1 crossed the
frozen river, and approaching one of
those mysterious black dots, found it
to be apparently only a bundle in a
blanket, scarcely large enough to con-
tain human form. But, looking
closer, could see, first from one bundle
and then from another, the quick mo-
ton of a pole, or spear-handle, bob
bing up and down. A word. a touch,
even gentle push, only called out a
grunt in reply, but at last one bundle
did stretch itself into bright Young
Indian brave with wondering and
wonderful eyes peering at me from
under mop of black and glossy hair.
A little tobacco, little pantomime and
little broken English succeeded in
making him understand that l wished
n hnr hn |, E-h
under that funny heap.
Then | saw it all. Seated. Turk
fashion, on the border of his blanket,
which he could thus draw up so as to
entirely envelop himself in it, he was
completely i'll the dark, so far as the
daylight was concerned; and, thus
enShrouded, he was lowering over Il
round hole in the ice, about eighteen
inches in diameter. A small tripod of
birch sticks erected over the hole helped
to hold up the blanket and steady a
spear, which, with delicate handle
nine or ten feet long, was held in the
right hand, the tines resting on the edge
of the hole, and the end of the pole
sticking through an opening in the
blanket above. From the other hand,
dropped into the water string on the
end of which was rude wooden decoy-
fish, small enough to represent bait to
the unSuspecting perch or pickerel
which should spy it. This decOy was
loaded so as to sink slowly, and was so
moved and Unanswered as to initiate
the motions of Il living fish.
Crawling under the blanket with my
Indian friend, l was surprised at the
distinctness and beauty with which
everything could be seen by the SUBJ
dued light that came up through the
ice. The bottom of the river, six or
eight feet below us. was clearly visible,
and seemed barely four feet away.
The grasses, vegetable growths and
spots of pebbly bottom formed curious.
little vistas and recesses, in some of
which dreamily floated a school of
perch and smaller fish. Each little air
bubble sparkled like gem and the eye
delighted in tracing and watching the
mystery of beautiful water formations,
where every crevice seemed a little
fairy world, with changing lights or
shadows made by the sunlight through
the transparent ice.
SuuuenIy, from SOmeWnere-I cOuiu
not tell where, it seemed to come by
magic-a large ''dory," or ''moon-eyed
pike" appeared on the river bottom.
The watchful Indian slowly raised the
decoy-bait toward the surface, the larger
fish following it with interested and
puzzled eyes. There was q sudden
movement of the spear; down it darted;
its sharp prongs pierced the unsus-
pecting pike, which was speedily drawn
up and thrown wriggling on the ice.
Then the blanket was readiusted and
the fishing was resumed. My bright
young Indian friend said he could catch
from twenty to thirty pounds of fish in
an afternoon in this manner. and some
times could even secure double that
quantity.-J. o. R0Orbach, IN 81. Mich
OLdS.