Man on the Ocean | Page 5

then,
erecting masts, they hoisted sail, and in this singular craft crossed the
Atlantic. On arriving at port they broke up their raft-ship and sold it.
The immense size of the rafts which are floated down some of the great
rivers of the world may be gathered from the following engraving,
which represents a raft on the Dwina, one of the great rivers of Russia.
Rafts, however, have not been confined to the purposes of traffic. They
have frequently been the means of saving the lives of shipwrecked
mariners; but too often they have been the means only of prolonging
the wretched existence of those who have ultimately perished at sea.
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Turning now from the consideration of rafts, we shall describe canoes.
Canoes must, we think, have been invented after rafts. They were
formed, as we have said, out of logs, of bark and of skins stretched
upon frames of wood. Of ancient canoes we can say little. But it is
probable that they were similar in most respects to the canoes used by
savage nations at the present time; for man, in his lowest or most
savage condition, is necessarily the same now that he was in ancient
times. We shall, therefore, take a glance at the canoes of savage nations
now existing, and thus shall form a good idea, we doubt not, of what
canoes were in days of old.
Simplest among them all, perhaps, are the canoes of the North
American Indians. These are built of thin laths and ribs of wood, and
are covered with the bark of the birch-tree. The sheets of bark are not a
quarter of an inch thick. Several sheets are used in the covering of one
canoe. They are sewed together with the long pliant roots of the pine,
and the seams are rendered tight with gum procured from the same tree.
So light are these canoes, that two men can carry on their shoulders one
capable of holding eight or ten men, with their provisions, etcetera, for
a voyage of many months. They are of various sizes--from the hunting
canoe which holds one Indian, to the largest canoe that carries fourteen.
They are propelled by short paddles instead of oars.

Many and terrible are the risks run by voyageurs who travel through the
lakes and rivers of North America in these canoes.
The following anecdote is related of a narrow escape made by some
fur-traders while descending one of the rivers in the backwoods of the
Hudson Bay Territory:--One fine evening in autumn, a north-canoe was
gliding swiftly down one of the noble bends in the river referred to.
New, beautiful, and ever-changing scenes were being constantly
opened up to the view of the voyageurs, whose plaintive and beautiful
canoe-songs were rolling over the waters. Suddenly the song ceased as
the distant roar of a waterfall struck their ears, and the steersmen-- for
there are usually two, one in the bow and one in the stern--prepared to
land and "make a portage,"--that is, carry the canoe and lading past the
falls by land, and re-launch and re-load in the smooth water below.
The approach to the landing-place at the head of the fall was somewhat
difficult, owing to a point of rock which projected into the stream in the
direction of the fall, and round which point it was necessary to steer
with some dexterity, in order to avoid being drawn into the strong
current. The fearless guides, however, had often passed the place in
former years in safety, and accordingly dashed at the point with
reckless indifference, their paddles flinging a circle of spray over their
heads as they changed from side to side with graceful but vigorous
rapidity. The swift stream carried them quickly round the point of
danger, and they had almost reached the quiet eddy near the
landing-place when the stem of the canoe was caught by the current,
which instantly whirled it out from the shore and carried it down stream
like an arrow. Another moment, and the gushing water dragged them to
the verge of the fall, which thundered and foamed among frightful
chasms and rocks many feet below. It was the work of a moment. The
stern of the canoe almost overhung the abyss, and the voyageurs plied
their paddles with the desperation of men who felt that their lives
depended on the exertions of the next awful minute. For a few seconds
the canoe remained stationary, and seemed to tremble on the brink of
destruction-- the strength of the water and the power of the men being
almost equally balanced--then, inch by inch, it began slowly to ascend
the stream. The danger was past! A few nervous strokes, and the canoe

shot out of the current like an arrow, and floated in safety