148 
HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 
bability either fall overboard, or capsize the canoe, or both. In tracking, 
as great a length of line as possible should be used, as a sheer of the 
canoe in a rapid, with a short line, will often end in a capsize. Only two 
men should remain in the canoe, one in the bow with a pole, and the 
other in the stern with a paddle to steer; this man should also have his 
pole handy. The line should be made fast to one of the stays in the bow 
of the canoe, and never to a towing mast , as in a boat; as in passing round 
bad corners, or places where there are snags, and where it is necessary to 
give the canoe a wide sheer, the leverage of the mast, if the line were 
fastened to the top of it, would pull the canoe over. The man in the 
bow, however, should always have his knife handy to cut the tow-line, 
should necessity arise for his doing so. In tracking, when a river passes 
through sandy soil, the men on the line should keep at some little 
distance from the edge of the banks, as it is likely to give way under 
their weight, and precipitate them into the river. Several men lost their 
lives in Eraser River, in the early days of the gold discovery, by 
neglecting this precaution. 
In crossing from one bank of a river to the other above a rapid, be 
careful to ascend the river for a considerable distance before attempting 
to do so; and then make the crew paddle as hard as they can, keeping 
the head of the canoe, if anything, rather down the stream, as in the 
case of a rapid river you would only lose ground by trying to tight 
against it. 
In descending a river, the traveller should keep a look-out ahead for 
snags and places where the river is narrowed in between hills, as in such 
places there is nearly sure to be a rapid which may be so bad as to 
render navigation impossible. In all cases before descending an unknown 
rapid, he should land and inspect it throughout its entire length before 
attempting to run it in the canoe. When descending a rapid, care must 
be taken to keep steerage way on the canoe, as this will be needed to 
avoid rocks, or whirlpools. These latter are very serious dangers, as they 
generally do not remain fixed in one spot, but move about within a 
certain distance of a centre. There are, however, in most cases, short 
intervals when they break up, and that is the time to make a dash past 
them. To attempt this when they are in full swing could only end in the 
loss of the canoe and its occupants. 
