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Show ,..). 1 0' TRAVEL TIIROUGII UPPER CANADA: lc.Js .f1tc of a poor Indian, which I fcleB:, as the truth of it is unqu ftionablc. The unfo rtun~Hc hero of this tal -:, intoxicated, it ieems, with fp irit , had bid himf(Jf down to fleep m the bottom of his canoe, which was f.tflcned to the beach at th<.: difl,tnce of fome miles above the fall s. Ilis fq 1:\W f.1 t on tl e n ore to watch him. Whilfl they w re in thi f1tuation, a failor from one of the !hips of war on the neighbouring lake.> happened to pafs by; he wa il:ruck with the charms of the fq uaw, and inflantly determined upon enjoying them. The faithful t ' ttn.:, however, unwillino- to gratify his de!Jres, haflcned to the canoe u , rr;uCc her hu!band; but before fhe could effccl: her purpofe, the bilor ut the cord by which the canoe was f:tt1ened, and fCt it adrift. It qui..:kly floated away with the fl.ream from the fatal fpot, and ere many rTiinntes ehpfcd, was carrird do,wn into the midft of the 'rapids. Ucre it was difl:inB:ly [een by feveral pcrfons-that were il:an iing on the adjacent fhore, whofc attention had been caught by the fingularity of the appearance of a canoe in fuch a part of the river. The violent mot\on uf rhe waves foon awoke the Indian; he fiartcd up, looked wildly around, and perceiving his danger, infiantly feized his pa Idle, and made the moil: furprifing exertions to fave himfclf; but finding in ' a little time that all his eftorts would be of no avail in fiemming the impetuoiity of the current, he with great compofure put afide his paddle, wrapt himfdf up in hi blanket, and again JaiJ himfelf down in the bottom of the canoe. In a few feconds he was hurried down the precipice; but neith 'r he nor his canoe were ever feen more. It is fuppofcd that not more than one thinl of the diffi rent things that happen to be carried down the fall§ re-appear at bottom. From the foot of Simcoe's Ladder you may walk along the flrand for Come diflancc without inconvenience ; but as you approach the IIorfc-O.Joe Fall, the way becomes more and n ore rugged. In fome places, where the cliff has crumbleJ clown, huge mounds of earth, rocks, and trees, reaching to the water's edge, oppofe your courfe; it fe m impoffible to pafs them; and, indeed, without a guide, a :{hanger would never find his way to the oppofite fide; for to get there jt is necefiary to mount nearly to their top, and then to era wl on yonr hands 3 F A L L S 0 F N I A G A R A. hands and knees through long dark holes ' wh ere paurra: ges arc left open between the torn up rocks and trees. After ffi h 1i 1 . pa 111g t e c mounds you 1. ave to clunb from rock to rock lofe under tl le c· l'ff. .r . . ' I , JOI tbcre 1 but little fpace here between the !iff and the river ai1d th r., . 1 {; fl' . · . ' ' e1e IOC<:S arc o lppel y, owmg to the OlltJnuaJ moiO.ure frcm tl1e f:pray 1 . I d {i d ] '1 , W 1lC 1 e-ce~ s very 1c:avi y, that without the utmoll: precaution it is fcarc ·] pofhble~ to cfcape a fall. At the difiance of a quarter of a mile from thy Gr at Fall we wen.: as wet, 0\.vino- to the fJ1•- ray as 'f 1 f h e 1 . b ' ' ' 1 eac 1 o us ad uecn t 1rown 1nto the river. There is nothing whatfocvcr to prevent yotJ fi· . {J~ 1 _[I I Olll ra 1ng to t 1e very o. ot of{} t he Great Fall; and you might even J1rocced bchJ'nd t1 j' ~ 1e proc r- ~~o~s le~t o1 water tlut comes pouring down from the top of the prc-ctprcc, for the water falls from the edg·c of a proie.n · . 1 1 • J l..lll1g IOC<; ant, more-over, caverns of a very confiderablc fize have b 'en hollowed out of the cocks at the _bottom of the precipice, owing to the violent ebullition of the water, wl11ch extend fame way underneath the b d f 1 f h . e o t 1e upper part o t e nver. I advanc d within about fix yards of th j ·d f 1 {} . ' C C ge 0 t 1e lect of water, JUfl: [·u· enough to peep into the caverns behind it; but here my breath was n~arly tal en away by the violent wh 1·1 ·] wm· d t 11 at n1 w ays rages at the bottom of the cataratl:-' oc afioncd by tile c.o ncu n~1 011 o f 1iu ch a vafi: body of water againfl: the rocks. 1 confers 1 1 l · 1· · • J: 1ac no 1nc 1nat10n at the tu~c to .go_ farther; nor, indeed, did any of us aftcn~ards attempt to c~pl~tc the dteqry 01 fines of thefe cavems, where death fl'emed to aw:ut lmn th1t fl1ould be d,1rin.,. enough to enter their thrc lt · · ~ Clllllg JaWS. No words. can convey an adequate idea of the a\\ful gr:1ndeur of the fcene at t!HS p_lace. Your ft:nft:s arc appallt:d by the fight of t Je immen[ c body f water that comes pouring down {o clofely to you from tl~c top of tl~c fl.upe_ndous precipice, and by the thundering found of the blllo~s dafh1ng agawfl: the rocky fid<.:s of the cavern below; you tremble With revcrcnti I fear, w] en you confider that a blafl: of the whirlwind mig~t-fweep you from off the flippery rocks on whi h you fbnJ, ann prcc1p1tate you into the drc· dful gulph ben ath, tfom whence all the p~wer of man could nol: extricate you; yon feel what an infignificant bemg you are in the creation, and your mind is forcibly impreffcd with a11 |
