48 THROUGH THE KLAWNGS 



and so persistent, that you feel that you have never 

 heard of mosquitoes before, even though you may 

 have stopped a week's end nearby the New Jersey 

 meadows, or ventured into the region of Great 

 Slave Lake in the springtime. As a rule the house 

 on these boats is barrel-shaped, erected amidships, 

 and made of atap leaves, supplied by the palm-like 

 plant which grows all over this country and is the 

 Siamese shingle. The boat is propelled by oars, 

 bow and stern, set in a twisted cane rowlock fas- 

 tened to the top of a post about eighteen inches or 

 more high and set on the port side of the stern and 

 on the starboard side of the bow. The oarsmen 

 send the boat forward by pushing the oar from 

 them, bringing it back with the familiar canoe- 

 paddle motion without taking the blade out of the 

 water. It is much like the stroke of the Venetian 

 gondolier, only the boat movement of the Siamese 

 is more rhythmical, and becomes graceful in the 

 rua chang, where the left foot of the oarsman 

 clears the deck on the forward push and swings 

 in unison with the blade. There is less oppor- 

 tunity for pleasing motion on the house-boat where 

 strength rather than grace is the desideratum, and 

 in freight boats laden with rice— which are simply 

 house-boats built heavier and broader— the men 

 heave on their oars without any other regard than 

 getting the boat along ; and this they do with nota- 



