t the village of the Cedars, immediately below
which are three sets of very dangerous rapids (the Cedars, the
Split-rock, and the Cascades), distant from each other about one mile.
On the morning of the 1st of May we set out from the Cedars, the barge
very deep and very leaky. The captain, a daring rash man, refused to
take a pilot. After we passed the Cedar rapid, not without danger, the
captain called for some rum, swearing, at the same time, that ---- could
not steer the barge better than he did! Soon after this we entered the
Split-rock rapids by a wrong channel, and found ourselves advancing
rapidly towards a dreadful watery precipice, down which we went. The
barge slightly grazed her bottom against the rock, and the fall was so
great as to nearly take away the breath. We here took in a great deal of
water, which was mostly baled out again before we were hurried on to
what the Canadians call the "grand bouillon," or great boiling. In
approaching this place the captain let go the helm, saying, "Here we
fill!" The barge was almost immediately overwhelmed in the midst of
immense foaming breakers, which rushed over the bows, carrying away
planks, oars, &c. About half a minute elapsed between the filling and
going down of the barge, during which I had sufficient presence of mind
to rip off my three coats, and was loosening my suspenders, when the
barge sunk, and I found myself floating in the midst of people, baggage,
&c. Each man caught hold of something; one of the crew caught hold of
me, and kept me down under water, but, contrary to my expectation, let
me go again. On rising to the surface, I got hold of a trunk, on which
two other men were then holding. Just at this spot, where the Split-rock
rapids terminate, the bank of the river is well inhabited; and we could
see women on shore running about much agitated. A canoe put off, and
picked up three of our number, who had gained the bottom of the barge,
which had upset and got rid of its cargo; these they landed on an
island. The canoe put off again, and was approaching near to where I
was, with two others, holding on by the trunk, when, terrified with the
vicinity of the Cascades, to which we were approaching, it put back,
notwithstanding my exhortations, in French and English, to induce the
two men on board to advance. The bad hold which one man had of the
trunk, to which we were adhering, subjected him to constant immersion;
and, in order to escape his seizing hold o