the side of this clear
water, you must allow them reflection, cousin," replied Emma.

"I presume you will add vanity to their attributes?" answered Alfred;
"for they certainly appear to be hanging over the stream that they may
look and admire themselves in the glassy mirror."

"Pretty well that for a midshipman; I was not aware that they use such
choice language in a cockpit," retorted the young lady.

"Perhaps not, cousin," answered Alfred; "but when sailors are in the
company of ladies, they become refined, from the association."

"Well, I must admit, Alfred, that you are a great deal more polished
after you have been a month on shore."

"Thank you, cousin Emma, even for that slight admission," replied Alfred
laughing.

"But what is that," said Mary Percival, "at the point, is it a village--
one, two, three houses--just opening upon us?"

"That is a raft, Miss Percival, which is coming down the river," replied
Captain Sinclair. "You will see when we are nearer to it, that perhaps
it covers two acres of water, and there are three tiers of timber on it.
These rafts are worth many thousand pounds. They are first framed with
logs, fastened by wooden tree-nails, and the timber placed within the
frame. There are, perhaps, from forty to a hundred people on this raft
to guide it down the stream, and the houses you see are built on it for
the accommodation of these people. I have seen as many as fifteen
houses upon a raft, which will sometimes contain the cargoes of thirty
or forty large ships."

"It is very wonderful how they guide and direct it down the stream,"
said Mr Campbell.

"It is very dexterous; and it seems strange that such an enormous mass
can be so guided, but it is done, as you will perceive; there are three
or four rudders made of long sweeps, and as you may observe, several
sweeps on each side."

All the party were now standing up in the stern-sheets of the _bateaux_
to look at the people on the raft, who amounted to about fifty or sixty
men--now running over the top to one side, and dragging at the sweeps,
which required the joint power of seven or eight men to each of them--
now passing again over to the opposite sweeps, as directed by the
steersman.

The _bateaux_ kept well in to the shore, out of the way, and the raft
passed them very quickly. As soon as it was clear of the point, as
their course to Quebec was now straight, and there was a slight breeze
down the river, the people on boa