A slender canoe swung from ropes thrown over the rafters.
Alfred slipped it out of the loops and carried it outside.
The canoe was a superb specimen of Indian handiwork.

It had a length of fourteen feet and was made of birch bark, stretched over a light framework of basswood.

The bow curved gracefully upward, ending in a carved image representing a warrior's head.

The sides were beautifully ornamented and decorated in fanciful Indian designs.
"My brother's Indian guide, Tomepomehala, a Shawnee chief, made it for me.

You see this design on the bow.