The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-24

swiftly forward again. The thumb OF the
I lower hand need not be placed around the
4 handle unless IL is rough weather; then IL is
| necessary or you may have your paddle
knocked out Of your hands.
The bowman makes the same stroke as
the steersman, except that there is no twist
| In IL, as be has nothing TO do with keeping
| the course of the canoe. Whatever you do,
don't lean over the side toward the paddle.
The only motion Of the body must be fore
and aft. throwing It's weight into the end Of
each stroks.
You can tell white man from an Indian
long distance of by the difference in the
padding. A white man paddles more with
his arms and less with his body than an
Indian. 27SI
here is test Of good padding. When
you think you are thoroughly proficient,
watch your blade as it goes into the water;
if it makes single tiny eddy as it comes
ATTN the stroke you have not reached per-
fections In year or two you will see 10
cut the water without q ripple, and fairly
sing and swish as you drive lt down.
The best canoeing clothing are q wooden
shirt, wooden socks, red leather or canvas
shoes and trousers Of homespun or cordu-
roy.
In smooth water you may kneel up, rest
ing against the bar, or you may even sit
upon it with your feet out ahead of you, but
in rough weather the place for you is low
on your heels as have described; for you
thus have far greater control over your
craft
On landing at night ct The end of days
journey, after unloading the canoe, lift her
out and turn her over to rest on one gum
vale and her two bows, or better still turn
her over couple of old logs, resting evenly
on both gunwales In the daytime when
in camp If it is hot and the rosin is in dan.
ger Of melting the canoe may be left In the
hOtfnua &ha
small bushes or in the grass. She will come
to no harm as long as no weight is inside
her.
As to trimming q canoe, the load should
be so placed as 70 make her little heavier
aft than forward, or she will not steer, but
will yee-yaw about in most aggravating
way. In running down q rough stream,
however, wherea pole has to be used, it
Will be found necessary, to have her loaded
slightly blythe head, or else the current will
catch the stern and slew it round unmerc-
fully. sah1cs, "a. bas alo
In polling a canoe up rocky streams,
through rapids, setting pole" of spruce
is used, This should be about ten feet long,
and about an inch and half diameter at
the thickest part Polling is very hard to
learn, but when once the art is acquired it
is delightful exercise. You may pole. as
you may paddls, on either side. If it is to
be the left side again, where we began our
lesson, stand erect in your place in the
stern, facing almost square out over the left
gunwale. Take the pole in your left hand
about four feet from the top, thumb to the
front and clasped about it, allowing the
lever end of the pole to trail overheard
toward the stern; raise the left arm and
swing the lower end of the pole forward
and out over the water to bring it in a
curve up to point g few inches from the
side, couple of feet ahead of where you
stand, at the same time Grasping the pole
with the right hand about a foot
below the left; the right hand now does
the business of driving the pole down to
firm sitting on the bottom, the
left hand sliding up for new hold near the
top of the pole; next the right hand is
shifted above the left aud the weight of the
body thrown on the bending white spruce,
wniie the canoe trembles and springs ahead
up the steep foanling track. To
steer. her is difficult; il you wish
to go to. the right the end of the
pole must be set we'll under the bottom of
the canoe and you must draw yourself and
the stern of the canoe toward the pole as
you give the last push; to alter the course
to the left, the pole will be set sloping down
from the canoe some little distance from
the side, and you will push the stern away
from the point where the pole is set, thus
driving your bow In the desired direction.
IL an accident occurs in the rapids, and
your canoe needs repairs, very bad split
in the bark may have to be sewed up with
small spruce roots soaked until they are
pliabie. Usually few tacks driven in from
the outside, fastening the bark to the ribs,
will suffice. II the breakis more serious 1t
may berepaired as follows: Take out the
ribs Of thecauoe for d foot on each side of
the break. by knocking them aft toward
the center of the canoe, then raise the thin
cedar Stats and take few stitches
through the bark with your spruce roots.
Make the stitches an inch or an inch and
half long, according to circumstances. Re
place tina ribs and drive them we'll home
Then outside cover the stitches with piece
Of Gotten dipped in boiling hot rosiu, and
smooth it down with o piece of hot iron.
This hot iron. by the way. is very useful
and often quite sufficient to stop leak,
without the need Of putting on any eddi-
uonai ro6in. aHg 8YuoC
In winter a canoe should be well housed
from ternating rain and frost; and all her
ribs should be slightly loosened to prevent
the bark from splitting when strained and
frightened i'll the cold, 81. BLISS CARAVAN.