Rod and gun . the lastleg of our journey. The prospect was THE CRUISE OF THE PAPOOSE 397 anything: but reassuring as the course be-tween us and home was tortuous andbeset with shoals and even in broad day-light required a trained eye and steadyhand to navigate safely. But we had beenover the course so often that we felt con-fident of our ability to pick our waythrough the myriad of islands that linedthe fifteen mile run. The first few miles were comparative-ly easy going as there was still enoughdaylight left to enable us to distinguish was directly into the teeth of the galeand as long as tha
Rod and gun . the lastleg of our journey. The prospect was THE CRUISE OF THE PAPOOSE 397 anything: but reassuring as the course be-tween us and home was tortuous andbeset with shoals and even in broad day-light required a trained eye and steadyhand to navigate safely. But we had beenover the course so often that we felt con-fident of our ability to pick our waythrough the myriad of islands that linedthe fifteen mile run. The first few miles were comparative-ly easy going as there was still enoughdaylight left to enable us to distinguish was directly into the teeth of the galeand as long as that held true we felt thatwe could not wander very far from thegeneral direction of camp. Buftetted bythe enormous waves, drenched by flyingspray, we plunged throug-h that Stygianblackness trusting to luck to keep usclear of the rocks. Our only hope was inkeeping going, to attempt a landing withno knowledge of where we were, was outof the question—to attempt to anchor inmiclake and wait for davlight was not to. On tho Montreal River. Temagami District. the headlands by which we shaped ourcourse and we were commencing to feelthat Harrys warning was unwarrantedwhen, with a suddenness almost of blow-ing out the lamp, a pall of black impene-trable mist settled down upon us, com-pletely obscuring everything , woods and water as if by a magic-ians touch were absolutely wiped out andwe were left floundering through anabyss of darkness with nothing to guideus except the wind. Our course we knew be thought of, for no anchorage wemight have found would have held in thathowling gale. As long as our enginekept going and we kept clear of the rockswe felt safe enough, but the uncertaintyof our location and the fear that any mo-ment our crippled engine might give upthe ghost, as the best trained gasoline en-gines often have the habit of doing, madeour position decidedly uncomfortable andkept us under a suspense which to put itmildly was rather trying on the nerves. 398 ROD AND GUN
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