38 ACROSS THE SUL-ARCTICS OF CANADA 
My brother, seeing that something had happened, went 
ashore also, and with his men returned to assist us. The 
weather was fine, and our goods soon became sufficiently 
dry to allow us to re-embark. 
An examination having been made of the rapid below, 
a short run was made down and then across to the 
opposite side, where we landed, and, because of the ex- 
treme shallowness of the channel and the many rocks 
that showed ominously above the surface, the canoes 
were lowered for the remaining half mile with the lines. 
The whole length of this rapid is perhaps a mile and a 
half, and it is sometimes designated as two, the Drowned 
and Middle Rapids. Following these in quick succes- 
sion, at intervals of from two to ten miles, we passed 
through the Long Rapids, which occasioned no difficulty ; 
then the Crooked Rapids, well named from the fact that. 
they occur at a very sharp U shaped bend in the river, 
around which the current sweeps with great velocity. 
Just below this the Stony Rapid was passed, and then in 
turn the Little and Big Cascades, both of which are 
formed by ledges of limestone rock, about three feet 
high, extending in more or less unbroken lines com- 
pletely across the river. 
At the Big Cascade a portage of a few yards had to be 
made, and Baie: this, smooth water was found for a dis- 
tance of eight or nine miles, until the head of the 
Mountain Rapid was reached. Judging from the name 
that this would be a large one, we decided to go 
ashore to reconnoitre. For a considerable distance the 
rapid was inspected, but no unusual difficulty appear- 
ing, we resolved to go ahead. About a mile farther on, 
a bend occurred in the rapid, and so high and steep 
