DAYS IN THE WOODS 249 



ceptible track, saying, " Well, good day, gents ; I 

 hope you will make out all right," and we are left 

 alone in the forest. 



The first thing to be done is to make a little fire, 

 and then with a hot brand melt the gum on the 

 seams of the canoes where it may have been 

 cracked by the jolting of the wagon, and to patch 

 up with resin and pieces of calico, brought for the 

 purpose, any holes in the bark. An Indian ascer- 

 tains that his canoe is watertight by the simple 

 method of applying his lips to every seam that 

 appears leaky, and seeing whether the air sucks 

 through. This ceremony he religiously performs 

 every morning before launching his canoe, and 

 every evening when he takes her out of the water. 

 It looks as though he were embracing her with 

 much affection, and it sounds like it ; but in 

 reality it must be an osculatory process more 

 useful than agreeable, for a canoe, like an Indian 

 squaw, though excellent for carrying burdens, 

 cannot be particularly pleasant to kiss. Our canoes 

 having successfully passed through this ordeal, 

 they are carefully placed upon the water, brush is 

 cut and laid along the bottom, the baggage care- 

 fully stowed, and away we start at last, three 

 canoes with a white man in the bow and a red 



