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Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

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150 HISTORY OF THE BANKstrong current, but adverse head-winds continued. On reachingFive Finger Rapids the travellers paddled ashore at acove just above the rapids, to look them over before they"shot" them. After two or three hours of argument themanager and two members of another party, one of whomcould not swim, were prevailed on to walk around the rapids.This alone lightened the canoe by nearly three hundredpounds, in addition to which some of the freight was transferredto the canoe belonging to the manager's portage <strong>com</strong>panions,which was to be towed by the bank's canoe. Half-way downthe rapids the towed canoe shot aboard the other, nearlyknocking the man at the helm overboard, and the bank'scanoe finished the rapids stern foremost. It was out of sightof those on shore when this inglorious finish occurred, and thesecret was not divulged until long after by those who figuredin it.The descent of these rapids occupied only a few minutes,but it was two or three hours later when the manager arrivedat the foot, bitten to pieces by mosquitoes and exceedinglywroth. "No more climbing round rapids for him," was thesubstance of his emphatic and embroidered verdict. Consequentlywhen the Rink Rapids, a little further on, werereached, all the party, including the two outsiders owning thesecond canoe, piled into the big canoe, while their smallersixteen foot one was again towed. These rapids <strong>com</strong>e upon thetraveller very suddenly after rounding a bend in the river, andoffer a <strong>com</strong>paratively easy channel much easier than the "FiveFingers" near the right-hand shore. As the canoes roundedthis bend, they came upon a large fallen tree, hanging by someshreds to its roots on shore, and thrashing up and down inchannel. The canoe had, therefore, to be directed into thevery bad water further out from shore, every man working hishardest to push her through. Several of the big curling, smashingwaves were safely passed, when one came aboard, slowingup and nearly filling the canoe. The prospect looked dark, butthe canoe won, and shore was reached by careful paddlingthe

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