Le Bourdon, it has been said, was very skilful in the management of
his craft; and Gershom, now perforce a sober and useful man, was not
much behind him in this particular. The former had foreseen this
very difficulty, and made all his arrangements to counteract it. No
sooner, therefore, did he find the canoes in rough water than he
brought them together, side by side, and lashed them there. This
greatly lessened the danger of capsizing, though it increased the
labor of managing the craft when disposed to turn broadside to. It
only remained to get sail on the catamaran, for some such thing was
it now, in order to keep ahead of the sea as much as possible. Light
cotton lugs were soon spread, one in each canoe, and away they went,
as sailors term it, wing and wing.
It was now much easier steering, though untiring vigilance was still
necessary. A boat may appear to fly, and yet the "send of the sea"
shall glance ahead of it with the velocity of a bird. Nothing that
goes through, or ON, the water--and the last is the phrase best
suited to the floating of a bark canoe--can ever be made to keep
company with that feathery foam, which, under the several names of
"white-caps"--an in-shore and lubber's term--"combs," "breaking of
the seas," "the wash," etc.
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