Part 20 (1/2)

”Are you still on the _Leader_?”

”Surely; I'm the police reporter now. I expect to land the city desk one of 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 was familiar with newspaper terms. ”And are you going to be a newspaperman all your life, Sam?”

”Looks that way. Had a hard time at first. You remember when you fellows were 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 to business. They tell me I write some pretty good stories, and Uncle Jim says he'll make me city editor just as soon as I've had a little more experience.”

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

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

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

They visited, in turn, the great Church of Notre Dame; the old French-Canadian market place, with its French signs and throngs of French-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; the ancient Seminary of St. Sulpice, and many other spots, including a tour along the river front, where craft of all shapes and sizes, from ocean-going vessels to the smallest of fis.h.i.+ng smacks, were to be observed.

”And you say you are bound for the Thousand Islands?” queried Sam, as the boys finally entered one of the city's pretty parks and seated themselves 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 Niagara above the falls. I shot the Lachine Rapids, just above Montreal, in a steamer the other day, and I want to tell you there was some excitement on board.”

”And canoes cannot go through the rapids?”

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

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

”And so you can, but you'll have to use the ca.n.a.ls.”

”The ca.n.a.ls?”

”Yes; didn't you know of them?”

The boys were forced to confess their ignorance.

”The Canadian government,” continued Sam, ”has constructed ca.n.a.ls around all the rapids, and there are plenty of them between here and Lake Ontario, I a.s.sure you. Otherwise the steamers could not get back up the river. But you can use the river part of the way, all right. For instance, you first pa.s.s through the Lachine Ca.n.a.l. Then you cross the mouth of the Ottawa River, and enter the Soulanges Ca.n.a.l, which enters the St. Lawrence again near Coteau Landing. Then you can use the river to Cornwall where you enter the Cornwall Ca.n.a.l. This takes you around the Long Sault Rapids. You go from this into the Rapids du Plat Ca.n.a.l, which takes you around Rapids du Plat. Then the Galops Ca.n.a.l takes you around the Galops Rapids. That lands you in Prescott. From there on to the Thousand Islands is smooth sailing, except that you'll have to paddle against a pretty strong current.”

The boys found a map in one of the railway offices, and Sam pointed out the ca.n.a.ls which were plainly marked.

”I'll just take one of these maps to refer to,” said Chot. ”Funny I had never noticed those ca.n.a.ls.”