Frequent cottages and villages were visible along
the shores, and now and then a little church with its bright spire
or belfry marked the successive parishes on either hand.
The tide had already forced its way two hundred leagues up from the
ocean, and still pressed irresistibly onward, surging and wrestling
against the weight of the descending stream.
The wind too was favorable. A number of yachts and bateaux spread
their snowy sails to ascend the river with the tide. They were for
the most part laden with munitions of war for the Richelieu on their
way to the military posts on Lake Champlain, or merchandise for
Montreal to be reladen in fleets of canoes for the trading posts up
the river of the Ottawas, the Great Lakes, or, mayhap, to supply the
new and far-off settlements on the Belle Riviere and the Illinois.
The line of canoes swept past the sailing vessels with a cheer. The
light-hearted crews exchanged salutations and bandied jests with
each other, laughing immoderately at the well-worn jokes current
upon the river among the rough voyageurs.
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