Note 14 — Chapter IX
John D. (John Davidson) Godman translation
Another still more laborious mode of going up stream, was by extending a long line from the bow, by which the crew, walking along the margin of the river, dragged the boat along. This is what is called cordelling, and when it is recollected how rugged and irregular the shores of the western rivers are, and the necessity of carrying the cord clear of trees, rocks, &c., a more painful and exhausting kind of labour can scarcely be imagined.—T.