ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANADA 



of the next morning. On the following afternoon the wind 

 suddenly fell, and though a heavy sea continued to roll in 

 from the east, the waves ceased to break. 



Fearing to lose one hour when it was possible to travel, we 

 launched our canoes upon the heaving bosom of the deep and 

 started across the mouth of the inlet on an eight-mile traverse. 

 As we passed out beyond the shelter of the island we found 

 the seas running fearfully high, but so long as they did not 

 break upon us we had little to fear, and this would not likely 

 occur unless the wind should spring up again ; but when we 

 were well out in the middle of the inlet that is just what did 

 happen. The wind began to rise from exactly the opposite 

 quarter, and speedily increased in force, whipping the crests 

 off the waves in such a way as to make things appear any- 

 thing but reassuring. Our situation was indeed perilous. 

 Every effort was made to guide the canoes so as to brook 

 least danger, but in spite of all we could do the seas dashed 

 in upon us, and it looked as if we would never reach the shore. 



My brother and I laid down our paddles, and with tin 

 kettles applied ourselves vigorously to bailing out the water, 

 ^lany times the great tumbling biUows seemed as if they 

 would surely roll over us, but our light cedars, though some- 

 times half -filled with water, were borne up on the crest of 

 the waves. At length we neared the rocky shore toward which 

 for several hours we had been struggling, but, to our dismay, 

 only to find it skirted by a long line of rocks and shoals, 

 upon which the full fury of the wild sea was breaking. What 

 were we to do ? Without a harbor we would be dashed to 

 pieces upon' the rocks — and it was impossible to retreat 

 against the storm. On we were borne by the force of the 

 gale, but, thanks to a kind Providence, just as the crisis 

 appeared to have come, a way of escape was discerned. One 

 rock could be seen standing out in advance of the others, 

 and behind this we managed with a supreme effort to guide 

 the canoes. Then in shallow water, with the force of the 



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