Will soon add zest to the journey. There are several courses of these
rapids, those we are now entering being the Gallopes, which, compared
with some of the others, are of but little interest, except as a
foretaste of what is to come. Next we enter and pass the Rapid de Plau,
and the excitement deepens as the foaming, seething waters just ahead
proclaim the approach to the famous Long Sault (pronounced _Soo_). This
is the longest of the series, being a continuous descent for nine miles,
with the current running at a speed of twenty miles an hour. A canal,
eleven miles in length, extends around this rapid, with seven locks,
facilitating the descent of such crafts as are unable to cope with the
rapids, and also permitting the return of the steamers. Four similar
canals are to be met at various places along the river.
At Dickenson’s Landing, just before entering the Long Sault, the
passengers are transferred to the “Prince Arthur,” a boat constructed
expressly for “shooting the rapids,” which steams out from the landing,
with its bow headed toward the angry waters, as if in defiance of their
power. The increasing speed, and especially the perceptible descent,
soon awaken the interest of the dullest among the passengers, and as the
boat lurches to the right or left (or, in nautical phrase, to the
starboard, or port), to escape destruction from some ledge which the
trusty pilot knows how to avoid, the excitement deepens and increases,
and the half hour required for the passage of the Long Sault is crowded
full of alternating delight, fear and exhilaration, quickening the pulse
and giving zest to the journey, not to be appreciated except by those
who experience it.
At the foot of this Rapid, the placid waters of Lake St. Francis are
entered, and the contrast between the tranquil surroundings and the
tumult and excitement just passed through brings a grateful sense of
relief, and the lovely scenery among which the boat now glides for
twenty-five miles, is all the more keenly appreciated. The call to
dinner, which is served during the passage of this lake, is a welcome
one, and the passengers are now ready to descend to the level of things
material and substantial, which they find spread in abundance in the
dining saloon.
[Illustration: “DOWN” VS. “UP”--RAPIDS AND CANAL.]
After dinner, and a quiet stroll on deck, a little more experience with
rapids is in order. Passing Coteau du Lac, we enter the Coteau Rapids,
descending quickly to the Cedars, Split Rock and Cascade Rapids. In
passing the Cedars, a peculiar sensation is experienced, as the boat
appears to settle down occasionally with great suddenness, as though
about to be submerged. This is supposed to be owing to a strong
undercurrent which exerts this influence on the boat as she passes from
one ledge of rock to another, although they are at a safe distance
below her keel. The passage of the Split Rock Rapids seems dangerous, as
indeed it would be were the pilot to forget for a moment the grave
responsibility of his trust, and fail to swerve the boat at just the
right moment to avoid some rock or ledge that threatens destruction to
the craft.
Occasionally a raft may be seen in conflict with the rushing waters,
apparently at the mercy of the current. The venturesome lumbermen
generally manage, however, to “put in an oar” to good advantage in
steering clear of the rocks, although not always successful in guiding
their frail crafts into quiet waters. An occasional wreck is the result
of these ventures, as the scattering logs in the channel attest.
[Illustration: RAFTS IN THE RAPIDS.]
The Cascades are so called from their resemblance to a series of short,
leaping falls. Passing the Cascades, we enter upon another broad expanse
of water, the river here widening into Lake St. Louis, receiving also
the waters of the Ottawa River. This lake is twelve miles long by about
six in breadth, and the ride across its quiet waters just precedes the
culminating excitement of the trip,--the daring passage of the