ABOUT thirty years ago, I was stranded by the severe winter weather, which put a stop to navigation, at the old army station of Green Bay, now a flourishing city in the great State of Wisconsin, at the mouth of the Fox River, at the southwestern extremity of a long arm of Lake Michigan. Society in that far-off army post, though cut off by the long winter from the outside world, was very delightful in those days, and the good times I had, both indoors and out, during those snow-bound months, I have never forgotten.

But what I wish especially to describe for the boy readers of ST. NICHOLAS is a curious Indian custom that I discovered in the course of my winter rambles. I had frequently noticed, while booming along the ice road on Fox River behind one of the fast little French ponies, a curious lot of black dots on the ice, in the retired nooks and coves along the farther shore. "What are they?" I asked; and the invariable reply was: "They are Indians fishing." This puzzled me still more, and I resolved to investigate. So one day I 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 contain a human form. But, looking closer, I could see, first from one bundle and then from another, the quick motion of a pole, or spearhandle, bobbing up and down. A word, a touch, even a gentle push, only called out a 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 pantomime, and a little broken English succeeded in making him understand that I wished to know how he carried on his fishing under that funny heap.

Then I 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 in the dark, so far as the daylight was concerned; and, thus enshrouded, he was hovering over a 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 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 opening 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 who should spy it. This decoy was loaded so as to sink slowly, and was so moved and maneuvered as to imitate the motions of a living fish.

Crawling under the blanket with my Indian friend, I 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 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 a 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.

The wooden decoy-fish, meanwhile, was being delicately handled by the Indian fisherman, now raised gently to the top of the water, then sinking slowly; the very action of sinking and the position of its artificial fins made it run forward, now this way, and now that, until it really seemed alive.

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Suddenly, from somewhere I could 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 a sudden movement of the spear; down it darted; its sharp prongs pierced the unsuspecting 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 sometimes could even secure double that quantity.

So ingenious and exciting a method of fishing interested me greatly, and when, years after, I again visited Green Bay, with two bright boys and zealous fishermen of my own, we, with some other wide-awake young fellows, adapted the Indian method of fishing, which was somewhat too rough to be literally followed,-to suit the abilities and ingenuities of civilized American lads.

INDIANS SPEAR-FISHING FOR PICKEREL AT THE MOUTH
OF THE FOX RIVER, WISCONSIN.

Since then the two boys have put our experiment into practical use on some of the best known pickerel ponds of New Jersey, and at one time they came out ahead in a fishing-match against two men with several set lines each.

For such boys, therefore, as have interest or opportunity for such sport, I will describe this mode of fishing, in detail.

In the first place, we built a house, or shelter,-a grand improvement upon the Indian blanket,making it possible for the sport to be comfortable, as well as exciting and interesting. This shelter, which can be made of any convenient boards from an inch to an inch and a half thick, was about four feet high, four feet long, and three feet wide at the bottom, and two feet long and eighteen inches wide at the top. The front only of the shelter was perpendicular, which caused the other three sides to slant. We left a four-inch square hole in the top, which was level, about three inches from the slanting end, so that the spear, which

passed through it, would come about over the center of the bottom. To cover this hole we used a block one foot square, with a three-inch hole in the middle. To exclude light from around the spear, we tacked a cloth funnel to the outer edges of the block, firmly fastening it with inch square strips nailed on. This funnel was long enough to exclude the light by rumpling or wrinkling around the pole, while the opening was loose enough to admit of free and vigorous action. The illustra

tion on this page affords the best description of the house, which can of course be modified to suit the tastes or convenience of any one who may choose to build a little structure of the kind. One of my friends uses a six-foot-square house with a floor, a seat, and a small charcoal stove; he can thus enjoy a change of position, his pipe, or book, at leisure, at such times as the fish are not running.

iron, with tines four inches long. If quarter-inch iron is used, the tines should be six inches long; if one-eighth inch, four inches will be long enough. Any blacksmith can make these tines with barbs as shown in the figure on the next page. We had them pointed and bent at the upper end, so as to be driven into the handle, as shown by the dotted lines. Our spear-handles were made from straight pine

BOY-SPEARERS ON A NEW JERSEY PICKEREL-POND.

The best time for the sport is just before and just after sunset.

Of course no floor is necessary, and any block or bit of board which raises the sportsman a few inches from the ice would serve for a seat.

I must add by way of caution that every hole or crack in the box should be covered; as a direct ray of light not only obstructs the vision, but prevents fish from coming to the hole. Any opening that may be discovered after setting up the box on the ice, can be closed with a handful of snow. The tines of the spears which we used were made of quarter-inch, round iron; and for fish weighing two or three pounds, three-sixteenths or oneeighth iron will answer. I have caught four and five pound pickerel on a spear of one-eighth inch

or spruce shingle laths about one and a quarter inches wide, tapering from the thickness of the lath at one end, to three-fourths of an inch at the other.

They may be from nine to twelve feet in length but a good average is ten feet.

The handle should be grooved so that the tines

Fig.3

DIAGRAM OF THE SPEAR.

may be sunk at least half-way into it, to prevent slipping or twisting. They should be lashed very tightly and carefully to the pole with stove-pipe wire or any other malleable wire.

The artificial bait or minnow, of which there are two outline figures on this page, we whittled out of pine. They were three or four inches long, and in proportions as drawn. In the side-view,

sinking to a depth of three or four feet. Then it should be guided in a circle around the outer limit as far as can be seen, then returned to the center, about three or four feet down; and again, kept almost still. Probably the fisherman will suddenly be surprised to see a large fish almost under his eyes. Now, without excitement, gradually lifting the bait with one hand, with the other he takes the spear, and poises it over the fish, letting it gently slide through the hand and approach him, while he attracts his intended victim with the motions of the bait.

When he has lowered the spear to about eighteen

Fig 1

the dotted and shaded part, A, shows the shape and proportion of a hollow, opening from below, to be run full of melted lead; we made these hollows larger at the top, so that the lead would not drop out, and poured in lead enough to sink the minnow rapidly. After cutting out the hole, and before running in the lead, we drove in the sidefins, which we cut from bits of tin with a pair of strong scissors. The dotted lines show how these fins met in the center of the space which held lead. The lead thus held the fins, and the fins kept the lead more securely in place. The back-fin was also cut from tin and driven into a slit made with a knife along the back. A bent pin made a small eye, or staple, which was set over the center of the lead and just ahead of the back fin. We definitely settled the position of the staple by tying a fine fish-line to it and experimenting in a pail of water. When the fish hung perfectly level, the staple was in the proper position. By pulling the string, the resistance of the water on the side-fins caused the fish to shoot ahead; and on slacking the thread, it also shot ahead while sinking; in this way, by giving the thread little short jerks and alternately lifting and lowering, we made our decoy-bait to play about in very fish-like motions. Sometimes we used uncolored minnows, and sometimes we painted them white, the back a dark greenish gray.

The young fisherman must not keep too continued an action with the bait; but he should merely raise and lower it a few inches, by little half-inch jerks, for a few minutes at a time; every once in a while, however, he may raise it quickly nearly to the top of the hole. Here it should be made to swim and glide about, in whatever way it will, while

Fig.2.

If a lad feel nervous and uncertain, and can not use both hands as described, let him throw the line over the left knee so as to hold the minnow just over the fish, which will probably remain long enough for him to lower the spear gently with both hands and to strike with certainty. As a rule the boys followed this course, but the expert manner is that first described.

During a snow-storm or on a partly cloudy day, or just before and after sunset, are the best times for successful sport.

It will not be difficult to see; for if the box shuts out all outside light, it will be beautifully transparent and clear below, even until late in the evening. If the ice is covered with snow, it should be cleared away for a space.

A thick overcoat should be worn, although the animal heat in the box will make the spearman warm enough, and sometimes too warm. I have fished comfortably when the thermometer was ten degrees below zero.

The door of the house should be on the left hand of the spearman, who should sit with his back to the perpendicular end. When he catches a fish, he unbuttons the door, pokes the fish outside, pulls the spear in, and resumes fishing.

On many of our inland lakes and ponds this fish-spearing can be combined with a day's skating and other amusements, and will give to many a boy a good day's sport which he will long remember.