THE EED EIVER EXPEDITION. 295 



They seemed as . if held in a vice by the hand of 

 some hidden giant the sensation being all the more 

 peculiar from the contrast with the rushing, frothing 

 waters around, in themselves the very symbol of 

 motion. Then, after some moments of hard pulling, 

 every muscle being strained to the utmost, the boat 

 was released so suddenly that it bounded forward as 

 a spring would which had been kept back by a rope 

 that had suddenly snapped. The sensation of being 

 in a small boat amongst such eddies, whirlpools, and 

 upheaving waves, which, rising from below, broke on 

 the surface in great mounds of water without any 

 apparent cause, was most exciting and enjoyable to 

 the strong-nerved man ; whilst the weak-headed ex- 

 perienced a disagreeable feeling about the stomach 

 that seemed to give a strong tendency to grasp at 

 something or somebody. 



As we glided down this deep river at the rate 

 of about four or five miles an hour, the scenery was 

 very pretty. Its breadth was from three to four 

 hundred yards ; the banks were wooded to the 

 water's edge, with here and there a patch of green- 

 sward peeping out through the trees ; whilst occa- 

 sionally one came to an open park-like clearance, 

 where fine spreading oaks reminded one of England. 

 This river is the frontier between British Xorth 

 America and the United States. There are no settle- 

 ments upon either bank, but the numbers of lodge- 

 poles showed that the locality was a favourite one 



