86 A TRIP TO THE LA VAL. 



seemed inevitable, we finally arrived safe, though in a 

 leaky and dilapidated condition, at the place where we had 

 anchored our chaloupe. The latter, left to herself, had 

 been trying what she could do on the rocks, and had 

 succeeded, with the aid of a falling tide, in upsetting 

 twice, and so frightening the boy in charge of her that 

 he had fled for refuge to a shanty, which providentially 

 was near at hand. 



Joe had taken the opportunity during our last day's 

 fishing, on hearing of the misfortunes of his boat, to 

 remove her to the Sault de Cochon, so that we had to 

 paddle about two miles in the open St. Lawrence. The 

 river was over twenty miles broad, and, under the influence 

 of a southwesterly wind, was so rough that our un- 

 steady bark danced, tossed and rolled about uncommonly. 

 I could no longer stand up, as I had been forced to do 

 hitherto, and was brought to my knees at once, while 

 even Joe found it safer to sit down on the thwart. No 

 one who has not tried it can imagine what a canoe is in 

 the slightest sea-way ; it appears to bob from under you, 

 and rolls and dances so quickly as to render staying in 

 it almost impossible, even if it should not carry out its 

 evident design to turn bottom up. Once at Sault de 

 Cochon and I again tried the fish, having taken, on the 

 descent of the La Yal, twelve, and was rewarded as I 

 deserved, by total failure. 



The wind had died out, the water lay a perfect mirror, 

 and, crowding down into the narrow cock-pit, we slept 

 till two o'clock in the morning, when a favoring tide 

 helped us slowly along toward our destination. The 

 night passed, and the next day, and we drifted by place 



