minutes of hard paddling, to pick up our brave commander 

 and proceed down river. 



The wind began to rise, blowing hard against the current 

 and making a rather choppy sea; so in a short time our pas- 

 sengers were sitting in a couple of inches of water. At one 

 o'clock, a halt for shift of crews and draining of our craft 

 took a half hour, some fifty miles from Mankato. 



The towns along the river Ottawa, Le Sueur, Henderson, 

 had passed as beads on a string. On we rushed, passing pict- 

 uresque Belle Plaine, and then began our long hunt for Shako- 

 pee. Now and then, on inquiring of natives we chanced to see, 

 we were told by them that that town was just around the 

 bend, or ten miles, and in one instance fifty miles away. Sup- 

 per time came, and wet and hungry but still happy, we un- 

 loaded and started a fire. Shower after shower passed over, 

 our brave mate sheltering the blaze from the storm with his 

 body. Coffee, bacon and eggs tasted better than before, and 

 in an hour's time we were off, the sun getting lower and lower 

 in the west, and twilight coming on. 



Like Paul Revere, "it was ten by the village clock" when 

 we paddled by old Shakopee, with twenty-eight miles ahead 

 before we were to reach our destination. 



The night was still, broken now and then by some sleepy 

 bird croaking at the chunk of our paddle. The trees bending 

 over were reflected in the stream, making each bend in the 

 river seem the "jumping off place;" but a new way always 

 opened as we plunged into what seemed impenetrable dark- 

 ness. At two o'clock the moon showed through a few clouds 

 on the horizon, which started an argument between the mate 

 and captain as to whether it was really the moon or a blazing 

 strawstack, the mate asserting in no uncertain terms that 

 the latter was his belief. 



Streaks of dawn were in the east as we reached the canoe 

 docks at Fort Snelling. The craft being packed away with our 

 belongings, we roused the sleepy ferryman, who took us across 

 in time to catch the morning car into the city. After a show- 

 er, we slept till noon. We had made our canoe trip of one 

 hundred twenty-five miles in twenty hours and thirty minutes. 



The Minnesota offers great possibilities for the amateur 



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