Their families generally were on the opposite side of the river, but one man had his lubra and two children on our side of it.

My attention was drawn to him, from his perseverance in cutting a bark canoe, at which he laboured for more than an hour without success.

Mr.Browne walked with me to the tree at which he was working, and I found that his only tool was a stone tomahawk, and that with such an implement he would hardly finish his work before dark.
I therefore sent for an iron tomahawk, which I gave to him, and with which he soon had the bark cut and detached.

He then prepared it for launching by puddling up its ends, and putting it into the water, placed his lubra and an infant child in it, and giving her a rude spear as a paddle pushed her away from the bank.

She was immediately followed by a little urchin who was sitting on the bank, the canoe being too fragile to receive him; but he evidently doubted his ability to gain the opposite bank of the river, and it was most interesting to mark the anxiety of both parents as the little fellow struck across the foaming current.