THE RANGERS OF THE WOODS. 441 



it has a pleasing effect, in a still golden summer evening, to 

 see a batteau gliding across the bosom of a lake, and dipping 

 its oars to the cadence of these quaint old ditties, or sweeping 

 along, in full chorus, on a bright sunny morning, down the 

 transparent current of one of the Canadian rivers. But we 

 are talking of things that are fast fading away. 



" An instance of the buoyant temperament and the profes- 

 sional pride of these people was furnished in the gay and 

 braggart style in which they arrived at New York to join the 

 enterprise. They were determined to regale and astonish the 

 people of the c States' which the sight of a Canadian crew. 

 They accordingly fitted up a large but light bark canoe, such 

 as is used in the fur trade ; transported it in a wagon from 

 the banks of St Lawrence to the shores of Lake Champlain ; 

 traversed the lake in it, from end to end ; hoisted it in a 

 wagon and wheeled it off to Lansingburgh, and there launched 

 it upon the waters of the Hudson. Here they plied their 

 course merrily on a fine summer's day, making its banks re- 

 soumd for the first time with their old French boat songs ; 

 passing by the villages with whoop and halloo, so as to make 

 the honest Dutch farmers mistake them for a crew of savages. 

 In this way they swept, in full song, and with regular flourish 

 of the paddle, round New York, in a still summer evening, to 

 the wonder and admiration of its inhabitants, who had never 

 before witnessed on their waters a nautical apparition of the 

 kind." 



