ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ETC. 161 



must inevitably be engulphed. At such times, the canoe ahead 

 of us was entirely hidden from view, but she was observed to 

 rise again like a seagull, and hurry on into the same danger. 

 The Indian in my canoe soon became completely frightened ; he 

 frequently hid his face with his hands, and sang, in a low melancholy 

 voice, a prayer which we had often heard from his people, while at 

 their evening devotions. As our dangers were every moment in- 

 creasing, the man became at length absolutely childish, and with all 

 our persuasion and threats, we could not induce him to lay his 

 paddle into the water. We were all soon compelled to put in shore, 

 which we did without sustaining any damage ; the boats were 

 hauled up high and dry, and we concluded to remain in our 

 quarters until to morrow, or until there was a cessation of wind. 

 In about an hour it lulled a little, and Captain W. ordered the 

 boats to be again launched, in the hope of being able to weather 

 a point about five miles below, before the gale again commenced, 

 where we could lie by until it should be safe to proceed. The 

 calm proved, as some of us had suspected, a treacherous one ; 

 in a very few minutes after we got under way, we were con- 

 tending with the same difficulties as before, and again our cow- 

 ardly helmsman laid by his paddle and began mumbling hi? 

 prayer. It was too irritating to be borne. Our canoe had 

 swung round broad side to the surge, and was shipping gallons 

 of water at every dash. 



At this time it was absolutely necessary that every man on 

 board should exert himself to the utmost to head up the canoe 

 and make the shore as soon as possible. Our Indian, however, 

 still sat with his eyes covered, the most abject and contemptible 

 looking thing I ever saw. We took him by the shoulders and 

 threatened to throw him overboard, if he did not immediately 

 lend his assistance : we might as well have spoken to a stone. 

 He was finally aroused, however, by our presenting a loaded 



gun at his breast ; he dashed the muzzle away, seized his paddle 



21 



