BOURGEOIS - Toronto Public Library

186 SIMON FRASER'S
» ment to disentangle myself and I gained, though not without
)l st.ruggle, the top of the canoe. By this time I found myself
)) again in the middle of the stream; here I continued astride the'
» canoe, humouring the tide as well as I could with my body to
» preserve my balance, and, although I scarcely had time to look
» about me, I had the satisfaction to observe the two other canoes
» ashore near an eddy and their crews safe among the rocks.
(I In the second or third cascade, (for I do not recollect which)
» the canoe plunged from a great height into an eddy below,
" and striking with great violence against the bottom, split in
» two. Here I lost my recollection, which however I soon re­
» covered and was surprised to find myself on a smooth, easy cur­
» rent with only one half of the canoe in my arms. In this
» condition I continued through several cascades until the stream
» carried me into an eddy at the foot of a high and steep rock.
») Here, my strength being exhausted, I lost my hold, a large
), wave washed me from off the wreck among the rocks and an­
» other, still larger, hoisted me clear Oil shore, where I remained,
» you readily believe, some time motionless. At length, recov­
» ering a little of my strength I crawled up among the rocks and
)l found myself once more safe on firm ground just as you see. ))
Here he finished his melancholy tale, then pointed to the place
of his landing which ,ve went to see and were lost in astonishment,
not only at his escape from the waves, but also at his
courage and perseverance in affecting a passage up through a
place which appeared to us a perfect precipice. Continuing our
course along the bank, we found that he had drifted three miles
among rapids, cascades, whirlpools, &c., all inconceivably dangerous.
Mr. Quesnel, feeling extremely anxious and concerned, left
his charge and joined us, two men only remained on shore carrying
the baggage and they were as ignorant as we were of the
fate of the others. Sometime after, upon advancing towards the