such that I might have traced the river downwards, at least so far as
such facilities continued, had our boats been of a stronger material than
canvas.

BOAT STAKED, AND SINKS.

But dead trees lay almost invisible under water, and at the end of a
short reach where I awaited the reappearance of the second boat, we heard
suddenly confused shouts, and on making to the shore, and running to the
spot, I found that the boat had run foul of a sunken tree and had filled
almost immediately. Mr. White had, on the instant, managed to run her
ashore, across another sunken trunk, and thus prevented her from going
down in deep water opposite to a steep bank. By this disaster our whole
stock of tea, sugar, and tobacco, with part of our flour and pork, were
immersed in the water, but fortunately all the gunpowder had been stowed
in the first boat.

THE LEAK PATCHED.

This catastrophe furnished another instance of the activity of the
sailors; the cargo was got out, and the sunken boat being hauled up, a
rent was discovered in the canvas of her larboard bow. This the sailmaker
patched with a piece of canvas; a fire was made; tar was melted and
applied; the boat was set afloat, reloaded, and again underway in an hour
and a half.

SHE AGAIN RUNS FOUL OF A LOG.

Once more upon the waters everything seemed to promise a successful
voyage down the river, but our hopes were doomed to be of short duration,