The canoe and pirogue were succeeded by the barge, the keel, and the flat-boat. Of the first two, the barge was the largest, had the greatest breadth, and the best accomodation for passengers; the keel was longer, had less depth, and was better fitted for the navigation of narrow and shallow channels. "They were navigated by a rude and lawless class of men, who became distinguished as well for their drolleries, as for their predatory and ferocious habits. In the thinly scattered state of the population, their numbers rendered them formidable, as there were few villages on the rivers, and still fewer settlements, which contained a sufficient number of able bodied men to cope with the crew of a barge, consisting usually of thirty or forty hands; while the arrival of several of these boats together made them completely masters of the place. The large rivers whose meanders they pursued formed the boundaries of States, so that living continually on the lines which divided different civil jurisdictions, they could pass with ease from one to the other, and never be made responsible to any. It is a singular fact, that lawless and wild as these men were, the valuable cargoes of merchandise committed to their care, and secured by no other bond than their integrity, were always carried safely to their destination, and the traveler, however weak, or however richly freighted, relied securely on their protection."[4] Navigating long rivers, whose shores were still infested by hostile savages, the boatmen were armed, and depended for safety upon their caution and their manhood.[5]