by Basil; but as he was seated on the
bow, and acting as pilot, and therefore more likely to feel the cold, he
wore over his hunting-shirt a Canadian _capote_ of white woollen cloth,
with its hood hanging, down upon his shoulders.

But there was still another "voyageur," an old acquaintance, whom you,
boy reader, will no doubt remember. This was an animal, a quadruped,
who lay along the bottom of the canoe upon a buffalo's hide. "From his
size and colour--which was a tawny red--you might have mistaken him for
a panther--a cougar. His long black muzzle and broad hanging ears gave
him quite a different aspect, however, and declared him to be a hound.
He _was_ one--a bloodhound, with the build of a mastiff--a powerful
animal. He was the dog `Marengo.'" You remember Marengo?

In the canoe there were other objects of interest. There were blankets
and buffalo-robes; there was a small canvass tent folded up; there were
bags of provisions, and some cooking utensils; there was a spade and an
axe; there were rifles--three of them--and a double-barrelled shot-gun;
besides a fish-net, and many other articles, the necessary equipments
for such a journey.

Loaded almost to the gunwale was that little canoe, yet lightly did it
float down the waters of the Red River of the North.

CHAPTER THREE.

THE TRUMPETER SWAN AND THE BALD EAGLE.

It was the spring season, though late. The snow had entirely
disappeared from the hills, and the ice from the water, and the melting
of both had swollen the river, and rendered its current more rapid than
usual. Our young voyageurs needed not therefore to ply their oars,
except now and then to guide the canoe; for these little vessels have no
rudder, but are steered by the paddles. The skilful voyageurs can shoot
them to any point they please, simply by their dexterous handling of the
oars; and Basil, Lucien, and Francois, had had sufficient practice both
with "skiffs" and "dugouts" to make good oarsmen of all three. They had
made many a canoe trip upon the lower Mississippi and the bayous of
Louisiana; besides their journey up the Saint Peter's had rendered them
familiar with the management of their birchen craft. An occasional
stroke of the paddle kept them in their course, and they floated on
without effort. Norman--such was the name of their Canadian or Highland
cousin--sat in the bow and directed their course. This is the post of
honour in a canoe; and as he had more experienc