Cut off the head of the fish and clean by splitting it through the back, in place of the usual way of splitting up the belly. To salt red meat before you cook it is to make it dry and tough, but the fish should be salted while it is damp with its own juices.

Heat the plank in front of the fire and then spread your fish out flat on the hot puncheon or plank, and with your hunting knife press upon it, make slit holes through the fish (Fig. 145) with the grain of the wood; tack your fish on with wooden pegs cut wedge shape and driven in the slits made by your knife blade (Figs. 143 and 144). Prop the puncheon up in front of a fire which has a good back-log and plenty of hot coals to send out heat (Fig. 146).*