

THE HOME OF THE REINDEER. 



83 

 and 



steer it successfully, sometimes between rocks 

 through channels little wider than his canoe. 



Upon one occasion, which I well recollect, Pierre led 

 way for the centre of a wild, rocky rapid. We soon 

 saw that he was making for a heavy shoot between two 

 great boulders, where the channel was barely wide 

 enough to allow us to pass. I determined to follow, but 

 our third canoe sought a channel nearer shore. Pierre, 

 by keeping straight in the centre of the current, was 

 shot through the 

 notch like a rock- 

 et, but my steers- 

 man, less skilful, 

 allowed our canoe 

 to be caught by 

 an eddy. Like 

 a flash it was 

 whirled end for 

 end, and happily 

 for us struck the 

 shoot stern first 

 instead of side- 

 ways and was 



carried through safely no thanks to the steersman. 

 The third canoe fared worst of the three, for it was 

 dashed upon a great flat rock and broken in the bottom. 

 Its occupants, by jumping out upon the rock, managed 

 to hold it until assistance could be given them. The 

 load of the disabled canoe was safely landed by one of 

 the others, and the damage soon repaired. 



We were now fairly beyond the limit of woods, which 

 for some time past had been gradually becoming thinner 



RAPIDS, TELZOA RIVER. 



