rily for a mile, till "The White Horses," as the breakers are
called, began to bob their heads and manes. "Hold fast!" ejaculated the
Red Man. I laid hold of both edges of the canoe, firm as a rock, and in
a moment the horrid sound of bursting, bubbling, rushing waters was in
mine ears; foam and spray shut out every thing; and away we went, down,
down, down, on, on, on, as swift as thought, until, all of a sudden, the
little buoyant piece of birch-bark floated like a swan upon the bosom of
the tranquil waters, a mile beyond the Fall, for such indeed it might
be called, the absolute difference of level having been twelve feet.

When at ease again, I looked at the imperturbable savage and said, "What
made you take the Fall? was not the _detour_ passable?"--"Yes, suppose
it was! Fall better!"--"But is it very dangerous?"--"Yes, suppose,
sometime!"--"Any canoes ever lost there?"--"Yes, sometime; one two, tree
days ago, there!" pointing to a large rock in the middle of the
narrowest part above our heads.--"Did you come down there?"--"Yes,
suppose, did!"

Then, thought I to myself, I shall not trust my body to your guidance in
future without knowing something of the route beforehand; but I
afterwards got accustomed to these taciturn sons of the forest.

The Falls of St. Marie are celebrated as a fishing place; and the white
fish caught there are reckoned superior to those taken in any other part
of Lake Huron. The fishery is picturesque enough, and is carried on in
canoes, manned usually by two Indians or half-breeds, who paddle up the
rapids as far as practicable. The one in the bow has a scoop-net, which
he dips, as soon as one of these glittering fish is observed, and lands
him into the canoe. Incredible numbers of them are taken in this simple
manner; but it requires the canoemanship and the eye of an Indian.

The French still show their national characteristics in this remote
place. They first settled here before the year 1721, as Charlevoix
states; and, in 1762, Henry, a trader on Lake Huron, found them
established in a stockaded fort, under an officer of the French army.
The Jesuits visited Lake Superior as early as 1600; and in 1634 they had
a rude chapel, the first log hut built so far from civilization, in this
wilderness. At present, the population are French, Upper Canadians,
English, Scotch, Yankees, Indians, half-breeds.

The climate is healthy, very cold in winter, with a short but very warm
summer, and alw