How sleepy I used to be! Often I wondered if father ever became tired. He would preach, and pray, and sing, and then pull, as if he were fresh all the time.
Then, in winter, with our little white pony and jumper, which my father had made, we would take the same trips. Sometimes the ice would be very dangerous, and father would take the reins out of the rings and give them to me straight from the horse's mouth, saying, "If she breaks through, John, keep her head above water if you can." And then father would take the axe he carried and run ahead, trying the ice as he ran. And thus we would reach those early settlements and Indian camps, where father was always welcome.
In summer, in coming to or from Lake Superior, we always portaged at the "Soo," on the American side.
Coming down father would put me ashore at the head of the rapids, and he would run them.
While we were in that country the Americans built their canal.
Father was chaplain for the Canal Company for a time.
I saw a big "side-wheeler" being portaged across for service on Lake Superior. It took months to do this. By and by I saw great vessels "locking" through the canal.
Our Indians got out timber for the canal. Some of my first earnings I made in taking out timber to floor the canal.
Father became well acquainted with the Canal Company. Once a number of the directors with the superintendent came to Garden River in one of their tugs, and prevailed on father to join the party. He took me along.
Away we flew down the river, and when near the mouth on the American side, we met a yawl pulling up stream. Who should be in it but the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, Sir George Simpson. He stood up in his boat and hailed us, and told us that a big steamer named the Traveller was aground over between the islands. She had started to cross over to the Bruce Mines and come up the other channel. He said, "You will confer a great favor if you go over and give her all the help you can. She is loaded with passengers, and they are running great risks should a storm come on before she is got off."