river, leaving one, two, or more spaces or
trunnels for the water to pass through. At the mouth they set a pot
of reeds, wove in form of a cone, whose base is about three foot
[wide] and ten [foot] perpendicular, into which the swiftness of
the current carries the fish and wedges them so fast that they
cannot possibly return.

The Indian way of catching sturgeon, when they came into the narrow
part of the rivers, was by a man's clapping a noose over their
tails and by keeping fast his hold. Thus a fish, finding itself
entangled, would flounce and often pull him under water. Then that
man was counted a cockarouse, or brave fellow, that would not let
go till with swimming, wading and diving, he had tired the sturgeon
and brought it ashore. These sturgeon would also leap into their
canoes in crossing the river, as many of them do still every year
into the boats of the English.

They have also another way of fishing like those on the Euxine Sea,
by the help of a blazing fire by night. They make a hearth in the
middle of their canoe, raising it within two inches of the edge.
Upon this they lay their burning lightwood, split into small
shivers, each splinter whereof will blaze and burn end for end like
a candle. 'Tis one man's work to tend this fire and keep it
flaming. At each end of the canoe stands an Indian with a gig or
point spear, setting the canoe forward with the butt end of the
spear as gently as he can, by that means stealing upon the fish
without any noise or disturbing of the water. Then they with great
dexterity dart these spears into the fish and so take them. Now
there is a double convenience in the blaze of this fire, for it not
only dazzles the eyes of the fish, which will lie still glaring
upon it, but likewise discovers the bottom of the river clearly to
the fisherman, which the daylight does not.

Under Governor George Yeardley in 1616, there were 400 people at
Jamestown and one old frigate, one old shallop and one boat belonging
to the community. There were two boats privately owned. The boats best
suited to local fishing, and the most easily available, were the Indian
dugout canoes. Such was the size of the trees that it was possible to
make them comparatively roomy, as Strachey noted.

Every passing year brought home to the steadily growing Colony the need
of improving its fishing pr