THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. 281 



added greatly to our labour at the oar, still it blew us 

 fine weather. Easterly winds in these regions bring 

 the evaporations from the great lakes, which break 

 into heavy showers of rain against the hills forming 

 the height of land. Most of the rain we had fell at 

 night ; and if we occasionally had a wet bivouac, wood 

 was plentiful, and we were able to dry ourselves easily 

 before large fires, ^"ow and then we got a slant of 

 wind, and when the weather was fine there were 

 ample materials for the artist's brush, the white sails 

 standing out so well against the dark-green foliage 

 common to every island and shore throughout the 

 route. 



The only difficult and dangerous rapids in this sec- 

 tion were on the Sturgeon Eiver, where extreme care 

 is necessary in running them. A number of Irroquois 

 were permanently stationed there until all the troops 

 had gone by, who took down every boat, only one 

 being totally wrecked. It is a fine sight to watch 

 these splendid boatmen taking a boat down a rapid. 

 Four generally rowed of paddled ; two others steered, 

 with large-sized paddles one in the bow, the other in 

 the stem. The post of honour is in the bow ; and it 

 was curious to see how their eyes sparkled with fiery 

 enthusiasm as they approached the roaring, seething 

 waters, where the breaking of a paddle, or a false 

 movement of any sort, would send the whole crew to 

 certain death. They seemed thoroughly at home at 

 the most trying moment ; for there is generally in all 



