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100 Cordovas Voyage of Discovery or filling up tlie interstices with dried sfrass and clay or mud, as touch as possible to prevent the entrance of the water. To give Some strength and resistance to the sides, they lay across the ca noe pieces of wood resembling pipe-staves, one by the side of another, all along the length of the canoe, giving it the shape of ascmicllipsoid, and make the ledge or gunwale of two strong poles, well joined together at each end, and in them are fixed the ends of the cross-pieces, which serve as ribs or timbers; the whole being tied and sowed together with rushes ; placing also crosswise trom time to time, some pieces of wood, that an swer the purpose of benches or thwarts to sit on. When the canoe is in this state, they line almost the whole of the inside with pieces of the same bark, about one foot broad, laid across, and having the ends made fast in the gunwale on each side. In order to give these pieces the requisite bend, they heat them by the fire, and, when they are half dried, apply them to their proper situations. Besides this, they form a kind of floor from the fourth part from stem and stern, placing it about half a foot from the bottom, leaving an opening in the middle, to throw out the water. This sort of floor consists of boards laid lengthwise over others placed crosswise ; and, as well as all the rest of the canoe, is covered with bark. Such is the construction of their boats, which, although but rudely wrought, do not fail to cost these Indians much time and labour, for want of instruments and tools proper for such works, which, indeed, arc the only ones in which they show any ability. They were not ignorant of the advantages to be drawn from knives, hatchets, and nails; and soon showed us that they preferred these tools to any other contrivance. i?ome of them procured such instruments, and even tried to imitate them with pieces of pipe-staves. Many of these canoes are capable of containing nine or ten Indians: they arc moved along with a sort of paddles, and rowing them is the ordinary employment of the women. When they enter on a long voyage, which is always either in a calm or with a fair wind, they set up a pole as a mast in the bow of the canoe, and across it another like a yard, having fixed to it the skin of a seal, and keep the lower parts of it steady with their hands: and this scanty sail relieves them from the fatigue of rowing. In the middle of the canoe are some stones, with heaps of shells and sand, cn which sort of hearth they make their lire, keeping it up with branches and sticks. Belonging to each canoe also are several jars, such as those before described, which serve to throw out the water which makes its way into it. Besides, each lias several ropes or