The picturesque StLawrence . number of other Indians had been stationedin trees along the riverside to watch the cribsprogress, and still others were stationed at thefoot of the rapids where they caught the cribwhen it reached the quiet water. The crib wasturned over and it was found that none of thestakes were broken. So it was plain there waswater enough to run the Ontario through. The Indians who had been in the trees on thebank then went on board the vessel and thevoyage began. Each piloted it in turn as far ashe had observed the cribs course. The onlywhite man on board was the engineer, a
The picturesque StLawrence . number of other Indians had been stationedin trees along the riverside to watch the cribsprogress, and still others were stationed at thefoot of the rapids where they caught the cribwhen it reached the quiet water. The crib wasturned over and it was found that none of thestakes were broken. So it was plain there waswater enough to run the Ontario through. The Indians who had been in the trees on thebank then went on board the vessel and thevoyage began. Each piloted it in turn as far ashe had observed the cribs course. The onlywhite man on board was the engineer, and he, likeOld Jock and Old Pete was generously was made, in 1843, the first steamer tripdown the rapids, and a descendant of one ofthose pioneer pilots now guides with trusty handa modern boat that goes over the same courseas the Ontario went then. But no other steamerattempted the shooting of the rapids for fifteenyears. I stopped in the vicinity of the Long Saultat a country village where I was told a vari-. The Rapids 49 ety of picturesque anecdotes concerning theriver. The other day, said the landlord of my hotel,the rudder chain of the steamer broke whileshe was right in the midst of the rapids, and theboat went careering down the stream in a waythat made the passengers hair stand on know she goes through those rapids like abullet shot out of a gun, and what with her wildmotions and her speed the five hundred touristson board were just about scared to death. Theywere all in a panic running around and notknowing whether to jump over, or take thechances of getting smashed up on the they got through finally without beingwrecked, and anchored to patch up things beforethey went farther. That didnt hold a candle to the way twofellows from this village ran the rapids someyears ago. James Bullock, the hotel-keeper heregot up a picnic, and he thought it would be a bigadvertisement for the picnic and draw a crowdif he announced that a sixteen foot s
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjohnsonc, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1910
