THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BKANCH. 
175 
Greenville, far east in the middle of the lake, she ap¬ 
peared nearly stationary. Sometimes we could hardly 
tell her from an island which had a few trees on it. 
Here we were exposed to the wind from over the 
whole breadth of the lake, and ran a little risk of being 
swamped. While I had my eye fixed on the spot where 
a large fish had leaped, we took in a gallon or two of 
water, which filled my lap; but we soon reached the 
shore and took the canoe over the bar, at Sand-bar 
Island, a few feet wide only, and so saved a considerable 
distance. One landed first at a more sheltered place, 
and walking round caught the canoe by the prow, to 
prevent it being injured against the shore. 
Again we crossed a broad bay opposite the mouth 
of Moose River, before reaching the narrow strait at 
Mount Kineo, made what the voyageurs call a traverse, 
and found the water quite rough. A very little wind 
on these broad lakes raises a sea which will swamp a 
canoe. Looking off from a lee shore, the surface may 
appear to be very little agitated, almost smooth, a mile 
distant, or if you see a few white crests they appear 
nearly level with the rest of the lake; but when you 
get out so far, you may find quite a sea running, and 
erelong, before you think of it, a wave will gently 
creep up the side of the canoe and fill your lap, like a 
monster deliberately covering you with its slime before 
it swallows you, or it will strike the canoe violently and 
break into it. The same thing may happen when the 
wind rises suddenly, though it were perfectly calm and 
smooth there a few minutes before; so that nothing 
can save you, unless you can swim ashore, for it is 
impossible to get into a canoe again when it is upset. 
Since you sit flat on the bottom, though the danger 
