THE ALLEGASH AND EAST BKANCH. 
191 
bays; and this was not merely on account of the wind, 
for the Indian, looking toward the middle of the lake, 
said it was hard to go there, easier to keep near the 
shore, because he thus got over it by successive reaches 
and saw by the shore how he got along. 
The following will suffice for a common experience in 
crossing lakes in a canoe. As the forenoon advanced 
the wind increased. The last bay which we crossed 
before reaching the desolate pier at the northeast carry, 
was two or three miles over, and the wind was south¬ 
westerly. After going a third of the way, the waves had 
increased so as occasionally to w r ash into the canoe, and 
we saw that it was worse and worse ahead. At first we 
might have turned about, but were not willing to. It 
would have been of no use to follow the course of the 
shore, for not only the distance would have been much 
greater, but the waves ran still higher there on account 
of the greater sweep the wind had. At any rate it would 
have been dangerous now to alter our course, because 
the waves would have struck us at an advantage. It 
will not do to meet them at right angles, for then they 
will wash in both sides, but you must take them quarter¬ 
ing. So the Indian stood up in the canoe, and exerted 
aU his skill and strength for a mile or two, while I pad- 
died right along in order to give him more steerage-way. 
For more than a mile he did not aUow a single wave to 
strike the canoe as it would, but turned it quickly from 
this side to that, so that it w'ould always be on or near 
the crest of a wave when it broke, where all its force 
was spent, and we merely settled down with it. At 
length I jumped out on to the end of the pier, against 
which the waves were dashing violently, in order to 
lighten the canoe, and catch it at the landing, which was 
