Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

182 INDIAN HOSPITALITY.’
gone before in light canoes; but for such a
boat as ours was impracticable. We conceiv¬
ed, therefore, at that time, that this was some
short cut, which was to bring us forward in
our voyage; but we'had reason to think after¬
wards, that the greater probability there was
of his getting the barge, which was the wages
of his undertaking, safe to his settlement by
this rather than another course, was his mo¬
tive for preferring it to the way we took after¬
wards, where there was a carrying-place of
considerable length, over which it would have
been impossible to have carried our boat.
The country hereabouts wears the most
uncouth, desolate, and rugged aspect imagin¬
able ; it is so circumstanced, as to discourage
the most sanguine adventurers from attempts
to settle it: were it for no other reason than
the constant heavy rains, or rather torrents,
which pour down here, and the vast sea and
surf which the prevailing westerly winds im¬
pel upon this coast, it must be rendered in¬
hospitable. All entrance into the woods is
not only extremely difficult, but hazardous;
not from any assaults you are likely to meet
with from wild beasts, for even these could
hardly find convenient harbour here; but