APPENDIX B 355 



though, as a general thing, the South American Indian is a wonderful 

 waterman, the equal and, in some ways, the superior of his northern 

 contemporary. At the many carries or portages the light birch-bark 

 canoe or its modern representative, the canvas-covered canoe, can be 

 picked up bodily and carried by from two to four men for several miles, 

 if necessary, while the log canoe has to be hauled by ropes and back- 

 breaking labor over rollers that have first to be cut from trees in the 

 forest, or at great risk led along the edge of the rapids with ropes and 

 hooks and poles, the men often up to their shoulders in the rushing 

 waters, guiding the craft to a place of safety. 



The native canoe is so long and heavy that it is difficult to navigate 

 without some bumps on the rocks. In fact, it is usually dragged over 

 the rocks in the shallow water near shore in preference to taking the 

 risk of a plunge through the rushing volume of deeper water, for reasons 

 stated above. The North American canoe can be turned with greater 

 facility in critical moments in bad water. Many a time I heard my 

 steersman exclaim with delight as we took a difficult passage between 

 two rocks with our loaded Canadian canoe. In making the same pass- 

 age the dugout would go sideways toward the rapid until by a supreme 

 effort her three powerful paddlers and steersman would right her just 

 in time. The native canoe would ship great quantities of water in 

 places the Canadian canoe came through without taking any water on 

 board. We did bump a few rocks under water, but the canoe was so 

 elastic that no damage was done. 



Our nineteen-foot canvas-covered freight canoe, a type especially 

 built for the purpose on deep, full lines with high free-board, weighed 

 about one hundred and sixty pounds and would carry a ton of cargo 

 with ease — and also take it safely where the same cargo distributed 

 among two or three native thirty or thirty-five foot canoes would be 

 lost. The native canoes weigh from about nine hundred to two thou- 

 sand five hundred pounds and more. 



In view of the above facts the explorer-traveller is advised to take 

 with him the North American canoe if he intends serious work. Two 

 canoes would be a good arrangement for from five to seven men, with 

 at least one steersman and two paddlers to each canoe. The canoes 

 can be purchased in two sizes and nested for transportation, an ar- 

 rangement which would save considerable expense in freight bills. At 

 least six paddles should be packed with each boat, in length four and 



