CHAPTER XXIII.
BAYS AND ISLANDS.
In proceeding from Victoria to Nanaimo—the coaling-station of the American sea-going steamers—we pass through the Archipelago of San Juan, which lies between the Sound and the Gulf of Georgia, and have an opportunity to be surfeited with the beauty of unbroken solitudes. After passing San Juan Island—on which are garrisons of both English and American soldiers—the grounds of the former beautifully laid out, and shaded with spreading maples, we begin to see island after island, all densely wooded, some with mossy banks, overhung with handsome shrubbery, others with bold, rocky shores, of every form of the picturesque. So limpid are the waters that fish, and even sea-weed, can be discerned in their clear depths. These islands were formerly very thickly populated by the native tribes; and many Indians still live about this part of the Sound. Canoes are often met with; and a contrivance for catching wild fowl is frequently observed, which would probably puzzle the regular sportsman who should stumble upon it. It consists of a tall cross, with a net spread on the arms. At night a fire is lighted, which attracts the fowls flying by night, who rush against the net with such momentum as to occasion their fall, when the Indians gather them up before they recover from the shock. Deer are also taken by means of torches, which the Indians
