_Sail._—The sail should be made of duck, or some such light material,
fastened to a light yard at each end, and its hoist should be about
twice its breadth; its size must be in proportion to the canoe, the
hoist being about one-fourth of the canoe’s length. The mast should be
as light as possible, with a hole at the top for the halliards to pass
through freely. The end should be stepped in a chock in the bottom of
the canoe (when in use), and it should be lashed to one of the stays, or
cross-pieces of the canoe. The sail should never be used unless the wind
is steady and abaft the beam, and the halliards should be taken to the
after part of the canoe in order to stay the mast, and secured in such a
manner that it can be instantly let go, when the sail will at once fall,
and undue pressure on the canoe relieved.
_The Tow-line._—Too much attention cannot be paid to this important
article. It should be light, but of the best material (such as the rope
used by the Alpine Club), as its giving way at a critical moment in a
rapid is sure to be attended with most serious results.
_Loading the Canoe._—The packages should not exceed 50 lbs. in weight, as
they may have to be carried long distances over portages, and care must
be taken not to overload the canoe. Natives, who are all good swimmers,
and have nothing to lose by a capsize, are very apt to put more into a
canoe than is safe, so that it is a matter in which the traveller should
use his own discretion.
In ascending a rapid river, keep close to one of its banks, and endeavour
to take advantage of eddies. It will often happen that, owing to the
strength of the stream, no headway can be made with the paddles, in
which case recourse must be had to poling or tracking. In the event of
the former, the poles should be straight and tough, and as long as can
be conveniently carried in the canoe. Natives generally stand up to
pole, but this the traveller should not attempt to do, or he will in
all probability either fall overboard, or capsize the canoe, or both.
In tracking, as great a length of line as possible should be used, as a
sheer of the canoe in a rapid, with a short line, will often end in a
capsize. Only two men should remain in the canoe, one in the bow with a
pole, and the other in the stern with a paddle to steer; this man should
also have his pole handy. The line should be made fast to one of the
stays in the bow of the canoe, and _never to a towing mast_, as in a
boat; as in passing round bad corners, or places where there are snags,
and where it is necessary to give the canoe a wide sheer, the leverage
of the mast, if the line were fastened to the top of it, would pull the
canoe over. The man in the bow, however, should always have his knife
handy to cut the tow-line, should necessity arise for his doing so. In
tracking, when a river passes through sandy soil, the men on the line
should keep at some little distance from the edge of the bank, as it is
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