THEIE CONVENIENCE AND BISKS. 105 



in the middle of the river. " What's the matter? " said I. 

 " Smelt a bar, I guess," said the captain, " and backing out in 

 time." " These snags," said I, pointing to one, " must be 

 troublesome at night ; don't they take them out ? " " No, we 

 know about where they air, and ke.ep pretty clear of them." 

 " Any other danger on the river, Captain J ? " "No, only two, 

 a sink or a burn up. We sometimes snag not often and 

 sometimes go afire. But we seldom have an accident. In June 

 last there was a burn up, a few miles below ; seldom hap- 

 pens though ! " " You have no heavy sea to trouble you, at any 

 rate ;" I threw in by way of comfort. " I guess not," said the 

 captain, turning full upon me, " we build these steamers strong 

 enough for their purpose, Mister, and as light as possible. They 

 are for the river, not the lake. In a heavy sea they would 

 double up in a clip ; and that's a fact." 



There are many sand-bars in the river, which, at this season 

 are so near the surface that the vessel sometimes sticks. But 

 in the bows two great legs or stilts are fixed, like little masts, 

 with blocks and tackle, and when the steamer " bars," down 

 go the stilts, the tackle is made fast to the capstan, the men 

 pull upon it, and raise the ship a foot or more, clean off the bot- 

 tom, at the bows. The paddles are then set on full steam, and 

 the vessel is literally jumped over the bar. I asked the cap- 

 tain if by this means he could get over any ordinary bar. " I 

 reckon I could lift her over the river bank, if she would hang 

 together," was his reply. 



We passed at night through Lake Pepin, an expansion of 

 the river, from two to three miles broad and twenty-five miles 

 long. The scenery is said to be very beautiful, but we could 

 only catch a glimpse of the " Maiden's Kock," which rises sheer 

 up about 200 feet from the water's edge. A romantic Amer- 

 ican, an individal rarely met with, told me its story in the star- 

 light. Winona, the daughter of a celebrated Indian warrior, 

 5* 



