Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-03-29
Fish-Spearing Through the Ice.

About thirty years ago, Twas stranded
by the severe winter weather, which put
a stop to navigation, at the old army
station of Green Bav, now fiourishing
city in the great State of Wisconsin, at
the mouth of the Fox river-at the south
western extremity of long arm of Lake
Michigan. / had frequently noticed ON
Fox river a curious lot of black dots ON
the ice, in the retired hooks and coves
along the farther shore. What are
they?' asked; and the invariable re-
ply was: ''They are Indians fishing"
This puzzled me still more, and re-
solved to investigate. So one day
crossed the frozen river, and approach
ing one of those mysterious black dots,
found it to be apparently only a bundle
in blanket, scarcely large enough to
contain 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, bobbing
up and down. A word, touch, even
gentle push, only called out grunt in
reply, but at last one bundle did stretch
itself into a bright young Indian brave
with wondering and wonderful eyes
peering at me from under a mop of
black and glossy hair. A little tobacco,
a little pantomine, and little broken
English succeeded in making him un-
derstand that | wished to know how he
carried on his fishing under that funny
heap.
Then / saw it all. Seated, Turk fash
ion, on the border of his blanket, which
he could thus draw up so as to entirely
envelop himself in it. he was completely
in the dark, so far as the daylight was
concerned; and, thus enshrouded, he
was lowering over round hole in the
ice, about eli ghteen 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
a 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 op-
ening in the blanket above. From the
other hand, dropped into the water a
string on the end of which was a rude
wooden decoy-fish, small enough to
represent bait to the unsuspecting perch
or pickerel which should spy it. This
decoy was loaded SO us to sink slowly,
and was so moved and maneuvered as
to initiate the motions of a 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 subdued
light that came up through the ice. The
bottom of the river, six or eight feet be-
low 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 school of perch and smaller
fish. Each little air-bubble sparkled
like a gem, and the eye delighted in
tracing and watching the mystery of
beautiful water formations, where every
crevice seemed little fairy world, with
changing lights or shadows made by
the sunlight through the transparent
ice.
Suddenly, from somewhere could
rot tell where, it seemed to come by
rlagic-a large .'dory," or ''moon-eyed
Pike" appeared on the river bottom
The watchful Indian slowly raised the
d,coy-bait toward the surface, the larger
fish following it with interested and
puzzled eyes. There was a sudden
movement of the spear; down it darted;
its sharp prongs pierced the unsuspect-
ing pike, which was speedily drawn up
and thrown wriggling on the ice. Then
the blanket was re-adjusted, 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. o. Roorbach, in st. NichO-
las for Februdry.