163 journal of a Voyage through the 



of our lading; as I was fearful of risking the whole of 

 it in the canoe, in its present weak state, and in a part of 

 the river which is full of shoals and rapids. Four men 

 were employed to conduct fier, lightened as she was of 

 twelve packages. They passed several dangerous places, 

 and met with various obstructions, the current of the river 

 being frequently stopped by raits of drift-wood, and fallen 

 trees, so that after fourteen hours hard labour we had not 

 made more than three miles. Our course was South- 

 East by East, and as we had not met with any accident, 

 the men appeared to feel a renewed courage to continue 

 their voyage. In the morning, however, one of the crew, 

 whose name was Beauchamp, peremptorily refused to em- 

 bark in the canoe. This being the first example of abso- 

 lute disobedience which had yet appeared during the 

 course of our expedition, I should not have passed it 

 over without taking some very severe means to prevent 

 a repetition of it ; but as he had the general character of 

 a simple fellow, among his companions, and had been 

 frightened out of what little sense he possessed, by our 

 late dangers, I rather preferred to consider him as un- 

 worthy of accompanying us, and to represent him as an 

 object of ridicule and contempt for his pusillanimous be- 

 haviour; though, in fact, he was a very useful, active, 

 and laborious man. 



At the close of the day we assembled round a blazing 

 fire ; and the whole party, being enlivened with the usual 

 beverage which I supplied on these occasions, forgot their 

 fatigues and apprehensions ; nor did they fail to anticipate 

 the pleasure they should enjoy in getting clear of their pre- 

 sent difficulties, and gliding onwards with a strong and 

 steady stream, which our guide had described as the cha- 

 racteristic of the large river we soon expected to enter- 



Sunday 16. The fine weather continued, and we began 

 our work, as we had done the preceding day ; some were 

 occupied in opening a road, others were carrying, and the 

 rest employed in conducting the canoe. I was of the first 

 party, and soon discovered that we had encamped about 

 half a mile above several falls, over which we could not 

 attempt to run the canoe, lightened even as she was. This 

 circumstance rendered it necessary that the road should 

 be made sufficiently wide to admit the canoe to pass ; a 

 tedious and toilsome work. In running her down a rapid 

 above the falls, an hole was broken in her bottom, which 



