82 Some New Voyages 



lows, was to me no trifling thing, 



* The Prlfoners fa- ? ^ worir e niente, ma il vivere brugi- 

 ten by the Inqaefe dn^o & troppo. To die is nothing? 

 are frequently burnt, but to live in the midfi of Fire * is too' 



much. 



As for the Waterfall of Niagara ; 'tis feven or 

 eight hundred foot high, and half a League broad. 

 Towards the middle of it we defcry an Ifland that 

 leans towards the Precipice, as if it were ready to 

 fall. All the Beafts that crofs the Water within 

 half a quarter of a League above this unfortunate 

 Ifland, are fuck'd in by force of the Stream : And 

 the Beafis and Fifh that are thus kill'd by the prodi- 

 gious fall, ferve for food to fifty Inquefe, who are 

 fetled about two Leagues off, and take 'em out of 

 the water with their Canows. Between the furface 

 of the water that (helves off prodigioufly, and the 

 foot of the Precipice, three Men may crofs in a 

 foreaft without any other dammage, than a fprink- 

 ling of fome few drops of water. 



To return to the Story of the thoufand Ircyuefe ; I 

 muft tell you, that we crofs'dtheStreight with all the 

 vigour we were matters of, and after rowing all 

 Night, arriv'd next Morning at the mouth of the 

 Lake, which appear d to be j-ndifferent rapid. Then 

 we were fecure from all danger, for the hoquefe Ca- 

 nows are fo dull and large^ that they cannot fail 

 near fo quick as thofe made of Birch- bark. The 

 former are made of Elm-bark, which is very heavy, 

 and their form is very aukard ; for they are fo long 

 and broad that thirty Men row in them, two a- 

 breaft, whether fitting or ftanding, and the fides are 

 fo low, that they dare not venture 'em upon the 

 Lakes, tho' the wind be very flack. We coafted a- 

 long the North- Coaft;. of the Lake of £rk> being 

 favoured by the Caims,which are in a manner conftant 

 in that feafon, efpecially in the Southern Countries. 

 Upon the brink of this Lake we frequently faw 



flocks 



