230 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



men throw their whole weight upon their poles, 

 that bend beneath them and tremble in the 

 glancing stream ; the water hisses hy the side, 

 and curls up in front of the prow as the canoe is 

 forced up inch by inch against the tide. Hold on 

 now in the stern, while the bow-man takes a fresh 

 hold. Down slips the canoe half a fathom, while 

 the man in the stern snatches his pole from the 

 water and drives it fiercely down again and holds 

 her up once more against the torrent. Perhaps his 

 pole slips, or gets jammed between two stones, or 

 in spite of all their efforts to keep her end-on to 

 the stream, the boat's head slews a little on one 

 side, and away you float helplessly down stream, 

 only to make another effort, and if necessary 

 another and another, until the obstacle is over- 

 come. At last it is overcome : inch by inch, foot 

 by foot, yard by yard, the quivering bark struggles 

 up, till with a final powerful shove she is lifted 

 over the break of the fall, and glides into still 

 water above. The three principles of poling are : 

 first, never to put out your strength until you 

 know, by the feel of it, that your pole is firmly 

 fixed, and does not rest on some loose or smooth 

 and slippery stone. Secondly, to be careful to 

 exert your force in a line parallel with the keel of 



