A TRIP TO THE LA VAL. 85 



row, which was to be our last on the river, when we cap- 

 tured twenty-eight, a few of which, however, did not 

 exceed a pound and a half in weight. 



The next day came, and good bye to the beautiful La 

 Val. Slowly and sorrowfully we struck our tent, sadly 

 we collected together, and stowed the many little arti- 

 cles that the occasion had hallowed to our hearts. With 

 feelings of deep regret we embarked, and looking our 

 last look at the camping-ground that had been our home, 

 commenced a descent to our chaloupe. As there were 

 three canoes, and only five canoemen, including my 

 friend, I was gladly compelled to take the bow of one 

 and act as steersman. Of course my experience was 

 limited, for, with the exception of having once upset 

 Walton to his intense disgust, I had taken little active 

 part in canoe management, and having for my stern-oar, 

 Joe, whose only idea was to push ahead under all cir- 

 cumstances, we performed manoeuvres that astonished 

 more than they delighted our associates. Ours was the 

 leaky canoe that had been patched up with gum and a 

 piece of a shirt for the occasion, and being utterly reck- 

 less of it, we shot down rapids and leaped over rocks 

 like a runaway race-horse. Wonderful were our hair 

 breadth escapes ; the rapid water, Joe with his "Avances 

 toti^ours," gave me no time to see and less to avoid the 

 half-hidden dangers, even if my skill had been equal to 

 the task, and we darted along amid the foaming current, 

 or plunged headlong down cataracts, at a rate and in a 

 manner that would have surprised a locomotive off the 

 track. We succeeded, however, in keeping straight with 

 the current, and although once or twice our destruction 



