. Minnesota and the far West : . e, shouldering our usual packs, and left them tofollow with the canoe. Instead of doing so, however,to our surprise and disgust we found that they hadno sooner got rid of us than they shoved off. It wasan exciting moment to watch them, as they nearedthe head of the foamino; torrent, tio;hten their waist-bands, make good their footing, and, standing one atthe bows and the other at the stern, dash headlongwith their fraoile bark into the breakers. We ranalong the rocky bank watching the canoe tossinglike a cork upon the waves, and escaj^ing destructionagainst som
. Minnesota and the far West : . e, shouldering our usual packs, and left them tofollow with the canoe. Instead of doing so, however,to our surprise and disgust we found that they hadno sooner got rid of us than they shoved off. It wasan exciting moment to watch them, as they nearedthe head of the foamino; torrent, tio;hten their waist-bands, make good their footing, and, standing one atthe bows and the other at the stern, dash headlongwith their fraoile bark into the breakers. We ranalong the rocky bank watching the canoe tossinglike a cork upon the waves, and escaj^ing destructionagainst some pointed rock by virtue of the vigilanceand dexterity of the men ; and in three or fourminutes it was safely moored in the backwater, andwe arrived breathless, to scold our voyageurs fortheir rashness in risking our boat, and their perfidyin not risking us along with it. We determined,however, to profit by experience, and amused our-selves, while the tea was being made for luncheon,by jumping in about half-way up the rapid, and. C i»ililfe,\4!i •HE KEW YORK\p\] LIBRARY A3TCR, i-SNOX AND \ ART OF SHOOTING RAPIDS. 225 swimming down, or rather being hurled down it,and seeing who arrived at the bottom first,—whichcreated much the same interest to those on the bankas boys experience when racing straws in a gutter. It is often difficult to judge from the appearanceof the water whether the rocks are sufficiently coveredto admit of the passage of the canoe ; and I oftenthought we were going stem on to destruction whenT saw a huge globular swelling ahead, betokening asunken rock over which we passed harmlessly ; whenat other times we were startled by a sharp blow, andfelt the ominous upward pressure upon the thin bark,when there w^as no indication of this sort, or eventhe usual breaker. The great art in shooting a rapidis to take advantage of every rock by scraping asclose past it as possible, and getting into the eddybelow. The man in the stern directs operations ;and as we d
Size: 1206px × 2072px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectcanadadescriptionand
