The water is much disturbed, and full of small crests of waves. There
were four men at the wheel, besides four at the tiller, and they had no
doubt to keep a sharp look out; we stood on deck, and received a good
sea in our faces, and were much excited by the scene. The longest rapid
occupied us about twenty minutes, being nine miles long. It is called
the Long Sault. The banks on either side continued flat; we stopped
occasionally at pretty little villages to take in passengers or wood,
but these stoppages told much against our progress, and the days now
being short, we were informed that the vessel could not reach Montreal
that night. There is a rapid a few miles above Montreal, which is the
most dangerous of them all, and cannot be passed in the dark. The boat,
therefore, stopped at La Chine for the night, and we had our choice of
sleeping on board or landing and taking the train for eight miles to
Montreal; and as we had seen all the rest of the rapids, and did not
feel much disposed for the pleasure of a night in a small cabin, we
decided on landing. We had tea first, with plenty of cold meat on the
table, and the fare was excellent on board, with no extra charge for it.
Before landing we had a most magnificent sunset. The sun sank at the
stern of the vessel; and the sky remained for an hour after in the most
exquisite shades of colouring, from clear blue, shading to a pale green,
and then to a most glorious golden colour.
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