86 A TRIP TO THE LA VAL. 
seemed inevitable, we finally arrived safe, tliongli in a 
leaky and dilapidated condition, at the place where we had 
anchored our chaloupe. The latter, left to herself, had 
been trying what she could do on the rocks, and had 
succeeded, with the aid of a falling tide, in upsetting 
twice, and so frightening the boy in charge of her that 
he had fled for refuge to a shanty, which providentially 
was near at hand. 
Joe had taken the opportunity during our last day's 
fishing, on hearing of the misfortunes of his boat, to 
remove her to the Sault de Cochon, so that we had to 
paddle about two miles in the open St. Lawrence. The 
river was over twenty miles broad, and, under the influence 
of a southwesterly wind, was so rough that our un- 
steady bark danced, tossed and rolled about uncommonly. 
1 could no longer stand up, as I had been forced to do 
hitherto, and was brought to my knees at once, while 
even Joe found it safer to sit down on the thwart. 'No 
one who has not tried it can imagine what a canoe is in 
the slightest sea-way ; it appears to bob from under you, 
and rolls and dances so quickly as to render staying in 
it almost impossible, even if it should not carry out its 
evident design to turn bottom up. Once at Sault de 
Cochon and I again tried the flsh, having taken, on the 
descent of the La Yal, twelve, and was rewarded as I 
deserved, by total failure. 
The wind had died out, the water lay a perfect mirror, 
and, crowding down into the narrow cock-pit, we slept 
till two o'clock in the morning, when a favoring tide 
helped us slowly along toward our destination. The 
night passed, and the next day, and we drifted by j)lace 
