302 'June 1749. 



venture one's life in. In fuch a cafe ano-* 

 ther elm muft be locked out ; and it fome- 

 times happens that feveral elms mufl: be 

 flripped of their bark, before one is found 

 fit for a boat. That which we made was 

 big enough to bear four perfons, with our 

 baggage, which weighed fomewhat more 

 than a man. 



All porlible precautions mufl: be taken 

 in rowing on the rivers and lakes of thefe 

 parts with a boat of bark. For as the 

 rivers, and even the lakes, contain numbers 

 of broken trees, which are commonly hid- 

 den under the water, the boat^may eafily 

 run againfr, a fharp branch, which would 

 tear half the boat away, if one rowed on 

 very faft, expofing the people in it to 

 great danger, where the water is very deep, 

 efpecially if fuch a branch held the boat. 



To get into fuch a dangerous vefTel, mufl 

 be done with great care, and for the greater 

 fafety, without fhoes. For with the (hoes 

 on, and flill more with a fudden le^p in- 

 to the -boat, the heels may eafily pierce 

 through the bottom of the boat, which 

 might fometimes be attended with very 

 difagreeable circumftances, efpecially when 

 the boat is fo near a rock, and dole to that a 

 fudden depth of water ; and fuch places are 

 common in the lakei> and rivers here. 



5 I never 



