We  can  form  little  idea  of  the  dangers  and  hardships  which
they  experienced.
In  later  times  (and  there  are  a  few  old  residents  still  liv-
ing who  can  tell  of  them),  companies  of  twenty,  thirty,  or
forty  loaded  canoes  would  often  start  together  for  the
lumbering  regions  of  the  Upper  Ottawa  or  St.  Maurice
rivers,  the  crews  all  singing  "  En  Roulant  Ma  Boule,"  or
some  similar  refrain,  keeping  time  with  the  strokes  of
their  paddles.  The  canoemen  were  portageurs,  too,  in
those  days,  such  as  we  seldom  see  now.  Their  merchan-
dise and  provisions  were  ordinarily  packed  in  bales  of  one
hundred  pounds  each,  of  which  each  man  took  two  as  his
regular  load  on  the  portages  and  a  third  when  necessary.
A  not  very  unusual  load  was  a  barrel  of  pork,  to  be  carried
over  roads  that  were  only  rocky  foot-paths,  obstructed
by  fallen  timber  and  traversed  by  streams  that  had  to  be
crossed  on  logs  or  fallen  trees.  There  are  plenty  of  men
strong  enough,  but  men  inured  to  such  work  are  scarce
in  our  day.  In  the  north,  away  up  in  the  Hudson


CHANGES  IN  TYPE.  117

Bay  Company's  territory,  canoeing  and  portaging  are
still  done,  but  the  friend  to  whom  1  have  referred  on  page
19  says  that  the  Indians  and  half-
breeds  of  that  region  carry  no  such
loads.
If  you  meet  with  one  of  these  old
residents  you  will  not  find  it  difficult
to  arouse  his  enthusiasm  and  start
him  on  a  flood  of  reminiscences  that
will  interest  you  as  much  as  they  do
him.
