In making the Grand Portage in the Saint Louis, owing to the rugged character of the country, it is necessary to land your canoes only a few yards above a succession of falls that descend into a pool thirty feet below. Owing to the thoughtlessness of our pilot, our canoe was suffered to go nearer than was customary, when Morrison uttered a most fearful shout, and said that we were within the charmed circle, and unless we strained every nerve to the utmost, we must surely perish. By that time we were on the very verge of the cataract, but we sprang to the paddles with all our might, and “the boldest held his breath.” The agony that we suffered cannot be expressed;—it lasted, however, only for a moment; we soon succeeded in reaching the shore, but our brows were heavily beaded, and we threw ourselves upon the green-sward, actually trembling with excessive feebleness. As may be supposed, the remainder of that day was solemnly spent, for our minds were continually haunted by the grim visage of death.
One of the more prominent traits of the voyager’s character is his cheerfulness. Gay and mirthful by nature and habit—patient and enduring at labor—seeking neither ease nor wealth—and, though fond of his family, it is his custom to let the morrow take care of itself, while he will endeavor to improve the present hour as he thinks proper. He belongs to a race which is entirely distinct from all others on the globe. It is a singular fact, that when most troubled, or when enduring the severest hardships, they will joke, laugh, and sing their uncouth songs—the majority of which are extemporaneous, appropriate to the occasion, and generally of a rude and licentious character. They are invariably sung in Canadian French, and the following literal translations may be looked upon as favorable specimens, which I first heard on the Mississippi.
Home, we are leaving thee! River, on thy bosom to sail! Cheerful let our hearts be, Supported by hope. Away, then, away! Away, then, away!
Scenes of beauty will we pass; Scenes that make us love our life; Game of the wilderness our food, And our slumbers guarded by the stars. Away, then, away! Away, then, away!
Home, we are leaving thee! River, on thy bosom to sail! Cheerful let our hearts be, Supported by hope. Away, then, away! Away, then, away!