306 TRAVELS THROUGH UPPER CANADA ? 
make much water. Had she been half as crazy 
as the King’s vessel in which we w ent up the 
lake,, nothing could have saved her from de¬ 
struction. 
A consultation was now held upon what w as 
best to be done. To proceed on the voyage 
appeared totally out of the question; and it 
only remained to determine which way was the 
easiest and readiest to get back to Malden. All 
was at a stand, when an officer in the American 
service proposed the beating out of an iron 
crow bar, and the manufacturing of new gud¬ 
geons. This was thought to be impracticable; 
but necessity, the mother of invention, having 
set all our heads to work, an anvil was formed 
of a number of axes laid upon a block of wood; 
a large fire was kindled, and a party of us act¬ 
ing as smiths in turns, by the end of three 
hours contrived to hammer out one very re¬ 
spectable gudgeon. 
In the mean time others of the passengers 
were employed in making a new tiller, and 
others undertook to fish for the cable and an¬ 
chor that had been slipped, whilst the sailors 
were kept busily employed at the rigging. By 
nightfall the vessel was so far refitted that n© 
apprehensions were any longer entertained 
about our being able to reach Malden in safety, 
and some began to think there would be no 
danger in prosecuting the voyage down the 
