Comrades on River and Lake

by Janet D. Wheeler

  CHAPTER XIV--IN MONTREAL

  Montreal, a city rich in historic interest, was a place of greatfascination for the Comrades and their chums. It was Pod's first visitto a city of any size, and his curious stares and delighted exclamationswere both pleasing and amusing to the other boys.

  "If I didn't know better," Pod remarked, as they started up town, havingleft their canoes in charge of a boat captain on the river front, "I'dsay Montreal was bigger than New York."

  "Montreal has 350,000 people," said Chot; "at least, that's what myguide-book says."

  They were walking along one of the principal business thoroughfares,when Tom collided with a young fellow who was hurrying in an oppositedirection. Each begged the other's pardon, then Tom uttered anexclamation of delight.

  "Well, look who's here!" he cried.

  "Eh?" said the other. "Well, if it isn't Tom Pratt."

  "What are you doing in Montreal, Sam Green?"

  "I might ask the same of you," returned Sam, for it was indeed theBayville boy whom they had met during their summer in camp, and later inNew York, where Sam was a cub reporter on the _Leader_, his Uncle Jim,who was one of the editors, having secured him the place. "And here'sChot Duncan, and Fleet Kenby, and who's this? Pod Meelick, as I live!Well, youngster, I am certainly surprised to see you up here."

  "And this is our friend, Bert Creighton," said Chot, as the boys wereshaking hands all around.

  "I am glad to know you, Mr. Green," said Bert.

  "Same here," was the reply, "only make it plain Sam. Mr. Green doesn'tsound natural."

  "All right, Sam," said Bert.

  "But you haven't told us what you're doing in Montreal, Sam," said Tom.

  "No; and you fellows haven't told me what you're doing here. Turn aboutis fair play."

  "We're on a canoe trip," Tom explained. "We started at Winton Hall onthe Hudson, came up through the lakes and the Richelieu River into theSt. Lawrence, thence to Montreal."

  "What! are you fellows at Winton now?"

  "Yes; we've just finished our first year."

  "I heard that Truem Wright was there," said Sam.

  "Yes, and he seems disposed to be good now, so we have taken him intothe fold. But come, Sam, what are you doing in Canada?"

  "I'm on a two weeks' vacation."

  "Are you still on the _Leader_?"

  "Surely; I'm the police reporter now. I expect to land the city desk oneof these fine days."

  "The city desk?" queried Pod, a blank look on his face.

  "He means that he hopes someday to be city editor," said Chot, who wasfamiliar with newspaper terms. "And are you going to be a newspapermanall your life, Sam?"

  "Looks that way. Had a hard time at first. You remember when you fellowswere in New York? I was pretty green then, but I'm getting over that.Being a reporter has lost its glamour now, and I've settled down tobusiness. They tell me I write some pretty good stories, and Uncle Jimsays he'll make me city editor just as soon as I've had a little moreexperience."

  "I'll bet it's a fine life," said Pod, to whom anything connected with acity appealed.

  "It is if you like it," said Sam. "Pay isn't great, but there's a chanceto make a pretty decent living."

  Sam had turned now and was walking up the street with the boys. He wasthoroughly familiar with Montreal, and learning that his friends wantedto see some of the interesting points in the city, agreed to pilot themaround.

  They visited, in turn, the great Church of Notre Dame; the oldFrench-Canadian market place, with its French signs and throngs ofFrench-Canadians, who still adhere to the tongue and customs of France;the Chateau de Ramezay, once the residence of the French governors,where the treaty was negotiated that lost an empire to France; theancient Seminary of St. Sulpice, and many other spots, including a touralong the river front, where craft of all shapes and sizes, fromocean-going vessels to the smallest of fishing smacks, were to beobserved.

  "And you say you are bound for the Thousand Islands?" queried Sam, asthe boys finally entered one of the city's pretty parks and seatedthemselves on a bench for a chat.

  "Yes; we expect to leave in the morning," Chot replied.

  "In your canoes?"

  "Surely."

  "Of course, you know that you can't canoe very far up the St. Lawrence?"

  "We can't? How is that, Sam?"

  "The rapids, my boy. Fiercest things you ever saw. Reminds me of Niagaraabove the falls. I shot the Lachine Rapids, just above Montreal, in asteamer the other day, and I want to tell you there was some excitementon board."

  "And canoes cannot go through the rapids?"

  "Well, I should say not--that is, going up stream, and I shouldn'tadvise anyone to try and shoot the rapids coming down. It's bad enoughwhen you're on a steamer."

  "But I understood that you could paddle all the way to the ThousandIslands from Montreal," said Chot, a disappointed note in his voice.

  "And so you can, but you'll have to use the canals."

  "The canals?"

  "Yes; didn't you know of them?"

  The boys were forced to confess their ignorance.

  "The Canadian government," continued Sam, "has constructed canals aroundall the rapids, and there are plenty of them between here and LakeOntario, I assure you. Otherwise the steamers could not get back up theriver. But you can use the river part of the way, all right. Forinstance, you first pass through the Lachine Canal. Then you cross themouth of the Ottawa River, and enter the Soulanges Canal, which entersthe St. Lawrence again near Coteau Landing. Then you can use the riverto Cornwall where you enter the Cornwall Canal. This takes you aroundthe Long Sault Rapids. You go from this into the Rapids du Plat Canal,which takes you around Rapids du Plat. Then the Galops Canal takes youaround the Galops Rapids. That lands you in Prescott. From there on tothe Thousand Islands is smooth sailing, except that you'll have topaddle against a pretty strong current."

  The boys found a map in one of the railway offices, and Sam pointed outthe canals which were plainly marked.

  "I'll just take one of these maps to refer to," said Chot. "Funny I hadnever noticed those canals."

  The boys invited Sam to go to the Thousand Islands with them, as Fleet'scanoe would hold two persons, but he said his vacation was nearly over,and that he would be due in New York by the time the Comrades reachedtheir destination.

  "I expect to see you all in New York again one of these days, and I hopeto be able to show you a good time," he said.

  "Well, we certainly had an abundance of excitement on our last visit,"said Tom. "What, with the burning hotel, and the chase of the smugglers,and various and sundry smaller happenings, we were kept pretty much onthe move."

  "Well, I'll try and see that you don't burn out next time, anyway,"smiled Sam.

  "Why, that fire was the means of winning for Fleet undying renown," saidChot.

  "Oh, pshaw! it did nothing of the kind," protested the fleshy lad.

  "Well, you rescued Mr. Shelton's little child from the building, and wegot an invitation to visit his ranch in New Mexico."

  "Did you go?" asked Sam.

  "Did we go?" repeated Tom, laying great emphasis on the words. "Catch usrefusing an invitation like that."

  "To refuse invitations of any nature that demand traveling is not inline with the policy of the Experience Club," said Chot. "We spent quitea bit of time in the west before returning to find that our parents haddecided to send us to Winton Hall."

  The boys bade Sam good-bye with feelings of regret, for, while theiracquaintance with him had not been of an intimate nature, they hadalways liked him and were glad of his company at any time.

  Upon leaving Sam the boys went down to the river front where they hadleft their canoes.

  "We had better get out of the city before dark," said Chot, "and find agood camping place, if possible."

  "Yes; for if we spent the night in the city we would have to leave ourcanoes with a stranger, and I'm not in favor of that," said Bert.

  They f
ound their canoes in the same condition as when they left them,floating alongside the fishing sloop. The captain of the sloop, aFrench-Canadian, sat on the deck nearby, smoking a short-stemmed pipe.When the boys appeared he arose with a grunt and helped them from thewharf on to the deck.

  "You lak de ceetey--eh?" he inquired, leering at them through beadyblack eyes.

  "Yes; it's a fine town," said Chot. "We like it very much."

  "Oh, Montreal, she pretty good place," said the captain. "I leeve hereall my life. I lak it, too."

  The boys asked the captain to direct them to the Lachine Canal, which hedid. Then they paid him for keeping the canoes while they were up town.He pocketed the change with an indifferent gesture, as much as to saythat money did not represent a great deal to him. Then the boys paddledoff up the river, past steamers and other crafts, large and small.Entering the canal, which runs right through the heart of the city ofMontreal, to enter the river again at Lachine, on the southern shore ofthe island, the boys paddled rapidly along.

  There was a difference in the atmosphere, now; the humidity in evidenceduring certain portions of the day in the early stages of their trip,was now absent, the air was cool and invigorating, and while the sun wasrather warm at times, it was not that suffocating heat that made themstop all labor until the air grew cooler.

  Soon they arrived at the Lachine end of the Canal, and as they paddledout into the open water again, and headed for Isle Perrot, which couldbe seen in the distance, they could see the dangerous Lachine Rapids offto their left, churning the river into foam, and roaring like aminiature Niagara.

  "No wonder they had to build a canal," said Fleet.

  "It's a wonder to me that those rapids are passable from any direction,"said Bert.

  "But they are. See that steamer! She's just getting into them."

  Following the direction of Chot's extended hand, they saw one of theriver boats which ply between Toronto, Thousand Islands, Montreal andQuebec, just as she was entering the rapids. Swaying from side to side,turning first this way, then that, as a skilful pilot guided her throughthe safer spots, she raced ahead at a rapid pace, with all steam shutoff.

  "Say, I'd like to be on her," said Pod.

  "Maybe you wouldn't after you got in the rapids," said Fleet.

  "I think it would be a fine trip."

  "I agree with you," said Chot. "A little excitement is healthy."

  Tom and Bert nodded their heads to signify their approval of thisremark.

  "But we can't go everywhere or do everything during one vacation," saidChot, "so let's be satisfied with our trip as originally planned. By thetime we've had enough of the Thousand Islands we'll have to make abee-line for Mortonville if we expect to spend any time with our folksbefore the fall term opens."

  "And I must go to Bayville. Mr. Hounson would never forgive me if Ipassed him by," said Pod.

  "Naturally not," said Chot. "He's your benefactor. You owe himeverything."

  "I know I do," said the little fellow earnestly. "If it hadn't been forhim I never would have been able to enter Winton."

  "I wonder how our telephone is getting along?" ventured Fleet.

  "Very well, no doubt," said Chot. "Our folks have been making good useof it. There was nothing to do but have the batteries restoredoccasionally."

  "And we'll use it again, won't we?" cried Fleet, delighted at thethought.

  "Surely," said Tom. "I feel that we had a hard enough time getting itup, with Chot shirking his duty to talk to Lucy Pendleton, that we oughtto get all the good we can out of it."

  It was fast growing dark, but the boys saw a number of lights on IslePerrot, and headed toward one of these with the intention of seeking outa camping place.