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Updated: June 22, 2025
Sails were and are only used with light winds dead aft, and not often in birch-barks even then, because there is no 'stiffness' without a keel. There were skin as well as bark canoes among the Indians. But the typical skin canoe is the Eskimo kayak. This is a shuttle-shaped craft, about fifteen feet long and just wide enough to let its single paddler sit flat on the bottom.
It is well to begin as bow paddler, for your duty there, in smooth water, is to watch for obstructions such as hidden rocks and submerged logs or snags, while the paddler at the stern must steer the canoe and keep it in a straight course. At the beginning learn to paddle as well from one side as from the other.
Near the bow I could discern a hound crouching. In the stern sat the paddler, his rifle across his knees. "Hello, the camp there!" shouted the man in the boat. "Hello!" I called, glad enough to find that my strange visitor was no apparition. The canoe came ashore, I greeted the boatman, and together we walked up toward the camp, the hound following us in a leisurely fashion.
There was a wild scream of agony and then a dark arm shot up above the red foam. The waters seethed and bubbled as the alligators fought under it for possession of the paddler. Tom fired bullet after bullet from his wonderful rifle into the spot, but though he killed some of the alligators this did not save the man's life. His body was not seen again, though search was made for it.
"We're going to cut in between the deer and the dogs after all, boys!" cried the delighted Josh, who was bending his body with every movement of the paddler, as though he hoped to be able in that fashion to assist the drive. "It's a pity we didn't think to bring another paddle along!" was Tom's comment, "for that would have added considerably to our progress."
"David Kildare," observed the major with the utmost solemnity, "when a man and woman embark with love at the rudder it is well the Almighty controls the wind and the tides." "I know, Major, I know and I'm scared some, only I'm counting on Phoebe's chart and the stars. I'm just the jolly paddler," answered David with a laugh across at Phoebe.
In the darkness it seemed to the paddler that he was fairly flying over the water, and he had become convinced that the ship had left her moorings and that he had already passed the spot at which she had lain earlier in the day, when there appeared before him beyond a projecting point which he had but just rounded the flickering light from a ship's lantern.
Thus these Indians at this camp fire were simply disgusted with Sam for running away from that black bear. So after a good smoke and much cogitation one of them, who was a paddler in Sam's canoe, turned to him and said: "You have a good knife?" "Yes," said Sam, and he drew the keen, sharp, double-edged weapon from its sheath in his leather belt, and handed it to him to examine.
Just as the proceedings for the day were about to begin, a pigmy paddler was observed bearing down on the flag-ship her puffing funnel and foaming bows betraying no mean steam power. On closing she was made out to be one of the punt fleet come to pay a visit to the admiral. As she lay to she ran the St. It was indeed real fun.
Kingwere, the canoe paddler, espying us from his brake covert, on the opposite side, civilly responded to our halloos, and brought his huge hollowed tree skilfully over the whirling eddies of the river to where we stood waiting for him.
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