Evening star., 1901-08-31

| required-one as a guide for each angler.
| a cook and an extra man for ali-round
| work, preparing camps, cutting wood, etc.
| For bedding, when in the woods. boughs of
| baisain or spruce are relied upon, and they
| make fairly comfortable mattress Our
! first night out was spent at what is called
| the Seeen-Mile Pool. This is owned by
the Canadian magnate, Lord Strathcona,
| who has comfortable lodge near by; but
| the members of the club and their guests
| nave the privilege Of fishing 1t when he is
absent, an consideration of keeping one of
its wardenS at that point to protect 1t from
| the ravages of poaehers. 1t is reckoned a
| desirable pool, and our tarry there was
| successful and enjoyable. The second night
our tents We're pitched near the site OF an
alleged gold mine. We found on the bank
OF the river an abandoned stamp mill,
| which had been, and for that matter is
| still. equipped with a good-sized boiler and
| engine, five stamps and other machinery
| and appliances for treating the auriferous
| ore-when they got it. So far as we could
| learn. however, the mine had never pro-
duced anything but disappointment, though
II was SAID that shares of the company
exploiting 1t had been foated in the Lon
| don stock market. This was not surpris-
| ing, but what puzzled every one of our
party was how the heavy machinery We
lounu there had been transported to such
| an apparently inaccessible spot. By sledges
| on the deep SHOWS of winter most likely
put even then and in that way the task
must have been a serious undertaking.
l
| Things are done by men through lust of
gold-and love of woman
from this point on to the upper pool the
passage Is slow and toilsome. The bed of
the stream now shrIink to smaller propor-
tons. is crooked. shallow and treacherous.
here and there a level stretch of water is
met put even these are thick with boulders
ana sharp rocks that must be avoided, or
the bottom of the canoe will be torn, with
a chance Of it's being filled with water A
number OF leaks from this cause are bound
10 occur; but these happenings are gener-
ally not SO serious as might be supposed.
Every canoe is supplied with q pot of
rosin, and when tear occurs in the bark
or canvas the boat Is quickly taken ashore
ana It's cargo removed. 1t is then turned
over. little fire is built, both to dry the
broken surface and to heat the rosin:
patch is applied with the adhesive product
thus secured, and in little while the frail
park Is reloaded and on it's way again.
There Is no work for the paddle here The
setting pole is relied on exclusively now
ana one who has never seen an exhibition
OF MS skill and daring cannot imagine what
an experienced and muscular Indian can
accomplish with this simple implement
And there is constant need of all his re-
sOurceful qualities. Rocks are to be miss
ed. II only by hairs breadth where they
lie close together, cascades of moderate
helSht are to be pushed through, and occa-
sionally both boats and cargoes have to be
landed and carried around the falls, that
are too high and too strong to be success
fully coped with. Then, too, the whole
course is up hill, so to speak In some
stretches Of rapids the descent is as much
as twenty to thirty feet in mile. so that
looking up or down one is much like
| looking up or down a hillside or the gently
sioping roof Of a house. That all these
Things are constant and severe strain on
the strength and endurance of the boatman
need hardly be said. AS for the passenger
his progress includes alternately riding in
the canoe, wadng through some of the
longer and shailower rapids. and taking to
the bank and footing it around some of
the larger falls. sometimes for stretch of
several hundred yards Still, the whole ex-
perience is exciting and enjoyable in a
way.
| mine at an early hour in the morning the
third evening brought us to the famous
upper pool of the Serpentine; and as a
place for fishing for and getting salmon 1
have never seen its superior. il it's equal. 1t
is the last resting place for the visitor from
| the sea on it's way to the spawning beds
sway up in the GOrges of the mountains,
where the stream has its source. Though
not large, 1t is no unusual thing to see from
twenty to fifty fish of varying size living In
the quiet depths of this pool. Unlike most
other pools. too it can be fished success
fully by as many as three rods at the same
tme.-one from the right bank of the
stream. one from a boat. or. by wading
from bar, at the lower end Of the pool
! and one by wading out in the brawling
rapids at it's head The result may easily
be guessed. If the king of fish can be
taken any where, it is here,-if he is in the
mood, that is. and he seems to be favorably
disposed generally. Indeed it is said that
party of three (brutes, shall they be
calledD during stay of two three days
few years ago captured and killed no less
than eighty! Such unsportSmanlilke and in
excusable slaughter is however no longer
permitted. The club now places a limit to
the number that each person or party may
take from the pool. Aside from the pleas
ure afforded by the fishing here the sur
rO1n6lnPS o avtr
tracttve. and our stay there was to the last
degree enjoyable. Birds filled the air with
music. The foliage in the forests and the
flowers along the margin of the stream
were at their very best. The weather was
iine.-warm lii the sun, but delightfully."- cool
in the shade and after sunset the mercury
fell low enough to make fire necessary to
personal comfort while on Our bed Of
boughs couple of pairs of heavy blankets
were essential to insure sound sleep Our
table was well supplied, delicious brook
trout being added to the stock of stores
carried with us; and our stay, as it seemed
to US, could have been pleasantly prolonged
almost indefinitely, if personal incinations
only We're t" be taken into account. But
circumstance. the unSpiritual god"
willed otherwise. All too soon our stay was
to come to an end. The limit number of
salmon allowed to party Of our size had
been taken; and as there was other va
rfety of attractive sport available ut that
point. We reluctantly set the prows of our
f1otilla down the stream. BY taking an
early morning start and pushing steadily
forward all day, we were, thanks to the
swift down current able to reach the club
house the same evening. 1t was a part uf
our original plan to tarry there a while,
but after our peculiarly pleasant outdoor
life, it was no longer the same place. as it
seemed to us. There had been a consider
able influx of members and guests during
our absence. and lots had to be drawn for
choice Of pools, with &. waiting list beside
In other ways. too, the place had lost some
thing Of the charm we first found there; so
the next day our belongings were got to-
gether and put in shape for canoe trans
portation, and We started on our long jour
nCy h0meward, thankful for what we had
enjoyed, and better fitted, we all felt GER
tain, for whatever fortune the future might
have In store. K