Four Guys and Two Canoes
A young Patrick Cross, age 20, captured with a beaming smile. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Story told by Patrick Cross
My brother Stephen was the one with a canoe. If we needed one, we had to borrow it from him. I remember we used to play with a canoe in our canal, the one that everyone calls the Seaway now. At the time the water was nice and would get warm enough to swim in. Back then we used to hop in the canoe, go along the canal, and then tip it over on purpose. This was because when it was tipped over, we would go underneath it and hold onto the seat in our own little air pocket.
We would be laughing and talking as we would use up all the oxygen trapped in our air pocket, eventually creating a mist in there. Even with a 16-foot canoe, you would run out of oxygen really fast,and it would get harder and harder to breathe. Once the oxygen runs out, we would get out from underneath the canoe, pull it back ashore, empty out the water, and do the same thing over and over again.
This other time we got dropped off near where the Chateauguay River enters Canada from the US border. We were four guys and two canoes. My brother David and I were in one canoe, and my brother Vincent and Curtis Horn were in another. The river at that point was narrow. I remember we talked to people who were sitting in their backyards as we passed by. They might have asked us where we were from and where we were going.
A sketch of the Chateauguay River, 1814. (Courtesy: Wiki Commons)
When we stopped that first night, it was at a field’s edge. We had some overnight stuff in plastic garbage bags, and we brought the canoes on land, turned them over and with the angle of it on its side, it protected our heads. We would have half our bodies inside the canoe with our feet sticking out, just lying on the ground with some blankets.
In the morning, we were awoken by cows coming down to the river to drink. I think one had a cow bell and that was our wake-up call for the second half of our trip.
I do remember going over a shallow drop off and there were some falls that we needed to portage. The current helped at times for an easy trip back to Kahnawà:ke. I think we were in our early twenties back then, but we always had an adventure.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Kaié:ri niiátion ionkwasken'rhakéhte' tánon' tekanakè:take
A glimpse of life at the Cross residence, circa 1959. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Patrick Cross ROKÁ:RATON
Rakhtsì:'a Stephen nen' nè:'e ronake'taién:tahkwe'. Tóka' tenionkwatonhóntsohse' nénska, enhshonkwá:ni'. Kè:iahre' kana'tsherá:kon eniakwatkà:ri'te noná:ke, tsi niká:ien' nòn:wa akwé:kon Tsi Kana'tsheratátie' tsena'tónhkhwa'. Kwah í:ken tsi kahnekiióhne' ne thò:ne tánon' ia'tekaié:ri tsi niiononwaná:wen ne iaiontá:wen'. Ia'teniakwani'tsónhkwahkwe' kanakè:takon, tsi kana'tsheratátie eniakwathonwé:ia'te, sok theniákwehte' eniakwahonwakahrhátho'. Nè:'e tiorì:wa' tsi nó:nen iotkahrháthon, nà:kon ieniakwatò:roke' tánon' tsi ionitskwahrà:tsheronte' eniakwatiénawahste' tsi nón:we ken' nikawerà:'a iakwatonriè:tha'. Kwah enionkwaiéshon' eniakwatá:ti' tsi ieiakwahsa'áhtha' tsi ní:kon iówerare' ne tsi iakwatonriè:tha', tsi niió:re enwatsható:ten' eh nón:we. Arenhátien ki' tsi ià:ia'k iawén:re niwahsì:take nikanakè:tes, iosnó:re' wáhi ensateweráhton'se' tánon' sénha ensahkwisrón:hahse' nahsatón:rie'. Nó:nen enwateweráhton', kanakè:takon entsakwatóhtshi', ohthiiò:ke tentiakwatihéntho' thí:ken, eniakwahnekatáhko', sok thia'teká:konte' ne tentiakwathna'néta' tho nentsakwá:iere'.
Ó:ia' ken' nionsaiá:wen' wa'onkhiia'titáhko' ákta tsi nón:we ne Ohsahrhè:'on Kaniataratátie' iotaweià:ton Koráhne ne Wahstonhronòn:ke nitiawé:non. Kaié:ri niiátion ionkwasken'rhakéhte' tánon' tekanakè:take kénhne'. Rakhtsì:'a David skanakè:ta iakeniià:ti, tánon' ne Ri'kèn:'a Vincent tánon' Curtis Horn thikanakè:tate niià:ti. Ken' na'tekaniatarakahrón:ha neh nón:we. Kè:iahre' wa'tiakwahthá:ren' ne tohkára niionkwè:take raonaten'èn:rakon thatístkote' shiionkwatohetstonhátie'. Ki' ónhte' wa'onkhirihwanón:ton'se ka' nitionkwé:non tánon' ka' wa'ákwe'.
Sha'tiakwá:ta'ne' ne tho wahsontá:te, eh nón:we tsi ieiothén:tate' ia'tiakwá:ta'ne'. Ken'k ní:kon teiehrhenhtáhkhwa' ionkwaientátie ísi' ieiakotiéhtha' ohnatiróntha' kaiarakónhshon tánon' ohthiiò:ke taiakwatihentón:ko' ne onake'shòn:'a, wa'akwakahrhathóhseron' tánon' tsi wa'akwatokerontáthon', kwah nè:'e takáhnhe' iakwanontsì:ne. Ahsén:nen iakwaieròn:ke kanakè:takon eniakwaia'tíhake' sok átste ia'teniakwarahsi'take'tó:ten', nek onhontsà:ke iakwaia'tión:ni ionkwatahsiró:ron.
Né: ohrhon'kè:ne, tiohnhónskwaron ki' wa'onkhí:iehte' tsi kaniataratátie' wakón:ne' wa'kontihnekihrà:ne'. Kwah í:kehre' skaià:ta tiohnhónskwaron iehwista'ékstha' ióhtien tánon' nè:'e wa'onkwá:iehte' ne ki' ne iaonsaiakwatahsónteren' tsi teionkwatstikahwhenhátie'.
Kè:iahre' ki' ken' niiohnotésha ionitstenhrià:kon teionkwatohetstonhátie' tánon' teiotonhontsohòn:ne' teniakwahón:wahkwe' tewa'sénhtha taiakwá:ia'ke'. Ken' na'tekónteron wa'onkwaié:nawa'se' ne iohná:wate' ne Kahnawà:ke iaonsaiákwe'. Kwah í:kehre' tewáhsen's shitionkwá:ien' ne thò:ne, nek tsi tió:konte' wáhi wa'akwate'nikonhró:ri'.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde