. Early Mackinac. A sketch historical and descriptive . ordinaryefigague. They were a kind of pedlars or sub-merchants on a small scale. Three or four wouldjoin their stock, put all in a canoe which theyworked themselves, and push out into the wilder-ness to hunt and trap, and to barter with theIndians for furs, and after twelve or fifteen monthsabsence in the woods would return with rich car-goes, squander all their gains and then go backpenniless to their favorite mode of life. Theyhave been described as grown up babes of thewoods, on whom the dense and quiet forest tractsexercised, a subtle
. Early Mackinac. A sketch historical and descriptive . ordinaryefigague. They were a kind of pedlars or sub-merchants on a small scale. Three or four wouldjoin their stock, put all in a canoe which theyworked themselves, and push out into the wilder-ness to hunt and trap, and to barter with theIndians for furs, and after twelve or fifteen monthsabsence in the woods would return with rich car-goes, squander all their gains and then go backpenniless to their favorite mode of life. Theyhave been described as grown up babes of thewoods, on whom the dense and quiet forest tractsexercised, a subtle fascination; and who felt the en-ticements of fur hunting much the same as ourpioneer roving miners would feel the passion ofgold hunting.* Later, however, when the greatfur companies controlled all this business therewas little scope for these petty dealers, and themen of that t3pe of life merged into the classknown as voyagetirs. The voyageurs were canoe *The hardy, adventurous, lawless, fascinating fur trade.—Park-mans The Old Regime in < ^ < I ^1-^ ^ •^ IO iz ?- < sz .« 3 I o ^ Io ^> CANOESMEN AND THEIR CANOES. 101 men who handled the boats and worked them upthe rapids in rivers and over portages. They wererough and bold and often as intractable as theIndians themselves, but of a cheerful and merry-disposition*, devoid of ambition and contented un-der the privatations and hardship of their food on their journeys was lyed corn, asort of hominy, and salt pork, or in the absence ofpork an allowance of tallow. This was greatly-relished and gave them strength for their toils,better it is said than a diet of bread and fresh canoes used on these expeditions werefashioned on the model of the Indian were made of birch-bark strippings a quarterof an inch in thickness sewed together with fibresof spruce and made water-tight by hot pitch pouredover the seams, The bark thus seamed togetherwas stretched over thin ribs and cross b
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