By Nikki Rajala
Treacherous Waters
The Chronicles of an Unlikely Voyager
André nearly drowns in an icy St. Lawrence River. Those memories plague him when he sets out on a fur trade brigade to Indian territory west of Lake Superior, in addition to battling the harsh environment — and a man intent on killing him.
Author
Nikki Rajala
Nikki Rajala delights in creating fiction and nonfiction alike, and especially enjoys rewriting. But that hasn’t always been so. For years she struggled with “writing phobia.” After she married Bill Vossler, a full-time freelance writer, he encouraged her to find her authentic voice. She and her husband live in Rockville, Minnesota.
Other Books by Nikki Rajala
Waters Like the Sky
The Chronicles of an Unlikely Voyager
Book 1
Some Like It Hot
The Sauna, Its Lore and Stories
Whats all in this sauna book? Click Below!
“Fans of Book 1 of Waters Like the Sky can set forth with André Didier on new adventures. They won’t be disappointed. Treacherous Waters, the second book in the series, is even more nail-bitingly perilous than the first. In addition to being a cracking good adventure story, Treacherous Waters is also a well-researched portrait of life on the Minnesota frontier in early decades of the nineteenth century.”
– Wayne Backman
Nikki Rajala’s Official Voyager’s Blog
Follow Along
One Great Read about Red Voyageur Sashes
The story of the signature piece of voyageur clothing is recounted in a children’s book, “The Red Sash” by Jean Pendziwol. Just as fun is that she’s a relative, and her son Colin is pictured on the cover of my first novel, “Waters Like the Sky.”
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Why Voyageurs Chose the Dash of a Red Sash
A red sash identified a voyageur — it added style to his otherwise plain clothing and it supported his body carrying 180 pounds of trade goods over a portage. The “arrowed sash” or ceinture fléschée, so named because of its chevron and zigzag designs, is mentioned in fur trade journals.
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Where in the world is André? Please give me a map.
Before roads, rivers and lakes were the routes for traveling. Voyageurs used waterways they learned from Natives to paddle, portaging when the rapids were too dangerous or the water too shallow. Canoeing from Montreal to the rendezvous took about 6 weeks to accomplish 1,100 miles, and for voyageurs headed to fur posts dotted across the interior, perhaps double that time to reach them.
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