Note 6 — Front matter

(page page 8).—Large bateaux, about thirty feet long, used by fur-traders in the transportation of their cargoes upon the lakes and rivers of the Northwest. The cargo was placed in the center, both ends being sharp and high above the water. The crew generally consisted of seven men (voyageurs), of whom six rowed and one served as steersman; in addition, each boat was commanded by a clerk of the fur company, who was called the bourgeois (master). During rainstorms the cargo was protected by snug-fitting tarpaulins, fastened down and over the sides of the boat.