126 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
the cord by which the canoe was fastened,, and 
set it adrift. It quickly floated away with the? 
stream from the fatal spot, and ere many mi- 
mites elapsed, was carried down into the midst 
of the rapids. Here it was distinctly seen by 
several persons that were standing on the ad¬ 
jacent shore, whose attention had been caught by 
the singularity of the appearance of a canoe in 
such a part of the river. The violent motion 
of the waves soon awoke the Indian ; he start¬ 
ed up, looked wildly around, and perceiving 
his danger, instantly seised his paddle, and made 
the most surprising exertions to save himself; 
but finding in a little time that all his efforts 
would be of no avail in stemming the impetuo¬ 
sity of the current, be with great composure put 
aside his paddle, wrapped himself up in his 
blanket, and again laid himself down in the 
bottom of the canoe. In a few seconds he was 
hurried down the precipice; but neither he 
nor his canoe were ever seen more. It is sup¬ 
posed that not more than one third of the dif¬ 
ferent things that happen to be carried down 
the falls re-appear at bottom. 
From the foot of Simcoe’s Ladder you may 
walk along the strand for some distance with¬ 
out inconvenience ; but as you approach the 
Horse-shoe Fall, the way becomes more and 
more rugged. In some places, where the cliff 
