ult is, it requires careful navigation for vessels that need any
considerable depth of water.

There are some laughable stories afloat about the nervous, excitable
captain of the first schooner, who carefully came up to the northern end
of the lake from Manitoba and pushed on as far as Norway House. He had
secured as a guide an old Hudson Bay voyageur, who had piloted many a
brigade of boats from Fort Garry to York Factory, on the Hudson Bay. Of
course the small boats to which he was accustomed did not draw nearly as
many feet of water as this three-masted schooner. Still he imagined he
knew where all the rocks and shoals were, and quickly accepted the
offered position as guide or pilot for the first schooner.

In spite of his skill and care several times the vessel bumped against a
rock, much to the terror and alarm of the captain, but all the
satisfaction he could get out of the imperturbable old native was, as
they repeatedly struck them:

"Ah, captain, I told you there were many rocks, and there is another of
them."

Fortunately these rocks are very smooth, and as the vessel was moving
along very slowly, she was not at all injured by the merely touching
them. When, however, she had, in passing over some sunken ones, nearly
stranded on one or two, the peppery old captain could stand it no
longer, and so he shouted to the guide:

"Look here, old fellow, I'll not have my ship's bottom scratched any
more like this."

All the answer he could get from the stolid man was:

"Um, bottom all right, only a few more rocks."

And these few more rocks they managed to get over, much to the delight
and amazement of the Indians, who had never seen such a large vessel
before.

With birch canoes, our friends had no such troubles among the rocks. As
the wind was fair the clever Indians fastened two paddles and improvised
a sail out of a blanket for each canoe, and they were able to sail along
at a great rate. But it requires careful steering, as the canoe is a
cranky vessel at the best, and only those thoroughly accustomed to them
ought to try to sail them.

The trip across to the Spider Islands was safely accomplished. The boys
were pleased with their run, which was most exhilarating. Those who
travel on the water only in great ships miss much of the healthful
excitement and delight that is the portion of those who are brave and
adventurous enough to take some of these trips in the light canoes of
the Indians.