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 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
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Ca 
 
Oy-^' 
 
 DOWN THE RIVER TO 
 THE SEA 
 
 BY 
 
 MISS MACHAR 
 
 P 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 HOME BOOK COMPANY 
 45 Vesey Street 
 
 /ff^. 
 

 C»PYRlCillTI£U, iSo}, 
 
 BY 
 
 HOME BOOK COMPANY 
 
 
DOWN THE RIVER TO THE SEA. 
 
 CIIAJ^TER I. 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 The brilliant sunshine of a July day 
 lighted up the great cataract and tlie rich 
 verdure of the surrounding landscape, 
 bringing out all the wonderful variety of 
 ' hue in the surging mass of falling water, 
 the snowy clouds that perpetually veiled 
 and iniveiled it, the iridescence that floated 
 elusively amid their ever-shifting billows, 
 and the deep emerald of the islands that 
 nestled so confidingly among the foaming, 
 seething rajiids that swept down the slope 
 above, in order to take the fatal leap. The 
 Clifton House veranda had its usual com[)le- 
 ment of loungjing groups tf guests, most of 
 them so absorbed in gossip, flirting, or the 
 
6 
 
 §own ihc %xvcv io the ^e«. 
 
 last: sensationiil novel, that lliey scarcely 
 seemed to notice the grandeur of the scene 
 they had come so far to enjoy. Of a very 
 different class of visitors was jNIay Thor- 
 burn, wlio sat silently in a vacant coriur o! 
 the wide veranda, gazin^^ at the ceaseless 
 rush of the Ilorse-shoe I'all, in a speechless 
 ecstasy of delight. The hrown-haiivd, 
 brown-eyed, rather pale girl, who sat so 
 absorbed in the wonderful grandcnir of the 
 scene before her, was not quite sure whether 
 she was the saino INFay Thorburn, who, oidy 
 a fiiw days before, had l.'ccn all engrossed in 
 the usual endless round of homo duties, 
 sweeping, dusting, or stitching away at tlx^ 
 family mending (and how mucli mending 
 t/n/t fan^ily needed!), and trying to squeeze 
 in, between these homely avocations, a little 
 of the poetry and nnisic in which her soul 
 delighted. And now, hero she was, in the 
 midst of Nature's grandest poetry and nni- 
 sic, realizing Avhat had been the day-dream 
 of years ! And all this wonderful hapi)i- 
 ness had come about through the thoughtful 
 kindness of her cousin, Kate Severne, in 
 inviting her to share the delights of a trip 
 all the way from Niagara to the Saguenay — 
 
^ttvcn the S»vfr to the ^tn. 
 
 names thiit had so lonj^ stood in her mind 
 as eciuivalents for the j^ivatest enjoyment 
 tliatany tourist could hojie for — at least out- 
 side of Mont lUanc. 
 
 She had come by way of Hamilton, and 
 as the trahi swept her rapidly through the 
 region of peach orchards, her mind was full 
 of vague anticipations of the delights of the 
 prospective journey, with occasional si)ecu- 
 lations as to Kate's two Scotch cousins, 
 Hugh and Flora ]\hicnal), whose visit to 
 Canada was tlie immediate occasion of this 
 present trip. Kate, who had repeatedly 
 gone over the whole ground h'jfore, and 
 knew it well, wished to act the part of 
 cicerone herself, while her kind, though 
 somewhat peculiar aunt, ]Mrs. Sandford, was 
 the chapcrone of the little party. It had 
 been the thoughtful suggestion of this aunt 
 that May, who so seldom had a lK)liday, 
 should be invited to join them, a suggestion 
 which Kate had gladly carried out, in the 
 kind and welcome letter of invitation which 
 had put IMay into such a little flurry of de- 
 lightful excitement and preparation. 
 
 The rest of the party had arrived before 
 May ; and her cousin Kate had met her at 
 
goutt the ilivcr ta the ^ca. 
 
 tho riiftoii House; stution with an enUiusi- 
 Jistic weU'oiiKi uiul a torrent of information 
 as to their future i)lans, scareely half of 
 which May eould take in, hein^i;' (juite hai)})y 
 enougii in the sense of hv'm^ ndUy at the 
 I^\ills fit hist, and of getting lun* lirst glimpse 
 of them. She only vjiguely lieard, in an 
 unreal sort of way, Kate's eager account of 
 her cousins — how "nice" andamiahle Flora 
 was, and how well she could sketch; and 
 how llngh, though very quiet, was very 
 clever, too, — had taken honoi-s jit college, 
 had somewhat injured his health b}' over- 
 study, so that he was obliged to take a rest, 
 and had even written a little book of i)oems 
 which was soon to be published, — indeed, 
 was now in the press. "And T shouldn't 
 wonder if he were to write another about 
 his travels here, and put us all into it," she 
 added. 
 
 IVIay had no particular desire to " be put 
 into a book," but, just then, the interest of 
 the scene before her, with the thunder of 
 "many waters" in her ears, was strong 
 enough to exclude all other ideas. ITer 
 eager, Watching eye just caught a glimpse 
 of what sei'med a giant's caldron of milky 
 
|iatt*n the ^Rivcr U the %t\\. 
 
 9 
 
 spray, {iiid bohiiul it ;i (Inzzlinp^ sheet of 
 snow ; but licr cousin hurricid her on into the 
 hold and up to hiT room, which, to her de- 
 hf^Mit, eoiinuiindcd a si)k'ndid view of the 
 Ilorse-slioe Fall, on which she could fi^ast 
 her eyes at leisure to her heart's content. 
 And now, indeed, anticipation an<l faith 
 were swallowed up in sight! She had, of 
 course, frequently seen photographs of the 
 great cataract, so that the outlines of the 
 vi(!W were familiar enough; hut the ex(iui- 
 site coloring, the ceaseless motion, tlu^ sense 
 of infinite power, no picture (;ould possibly 
 supi>ly. As she hiy dreamily back in a 
 loiuiging chair, on the veranda, scarcely 
 conscious of anytlujig but th(; gi-andeur of 
 the scene, a line or two from Wordsworth's 
 " Yarrow Visited" llitted across her nnnd : 
 
 " this is the BCXi'ne 
 
 Of whicli my fancy chorishod 
 So faitlifully a waking drnini ! "' 
 
 "Xo!" she mentally decided, "no 'wak- 
 ing dream ' could picture Niagara." 
 
 "Well, dreaming as usual?" May looked 
 up with a start, as she felt ^Irs. Sandfoid's 
 plump hand on her shoulder. " Kate wants 
 
10 
 
 Jautt the ^xvtx ia the ^ta. 
 
 I ii! 
 
 you to miik(i hiisto and get ready for an ex- 
 pedition. Here are the Scotch cousms. 
 This is I^'lora, and this is her l)rother Hugh. 
 Yoir don't need ;iny forinid introduction. 
 Kiito will be down in a moment, and you 
 are all going for a long stroll, she says, for 
 which I don't feel ([uite eciual yet after my 
 journey, though it is a charming after- 
 noon ; so I shall stay hero and rest. Kate 
 has promised me not to let you run into any 
 sort of danger, and I am sure you'll find 
 her a capital cicero?iry 
 
 Kate, who appeared just then, renewed 
 her promise to bo most prudent, and espe- 
 cially to look after her cousin Hugh — h(;r 
 aunt's chief object of anxiety. "And, in- 
 deed, you need taking care of," she said, in 
 answer to his attempted disclaimer. " You 
 know you're under orders not to overwalk 
 yourself, or get heated or chilled, so mind, 
 Kate, you doit''t let hhn. I don't want to 
 have to stop on the way to nurse an in- 
 valid ! " 
 
 "I don't think you need be at all afraid, 
 Aiuit Bella," the young man replied, with 
 what jNIay thought a pleasant touch of Scot- 
 tish accent, though his pale face had flushed 
 
Jou'u the Oliver io the ^cu. 
 
 11 
 
 ji little 5it llio jillusion to his semi-invalid- 
 ism, wliii'h liiul been tho iininwliiitc ciiuse of 
 his journey to ('iiiiiulii. His sister I'Moni, 
 however, with her JilmiHhint fair hair, 
 which, like her brother's, just missed beiii«^ 
 Yi'.d, looked the picture of health and youth- 
 ful energy. 
 
 ]May, with her straw hat beside her, need- 
 ed no further i)reparation for the exi)edition, 
 on which she was, indeed, impatient to set 
 out at once, Kate, to her relief, leading tho 
 way with ^Ir. Hugh iMacnab, who was not 
 her cousin, and it di<l not seem to her that 
 she could find anything to say to any one 
 so learned and clever as this quiet-looking 
 young man must be. It seemed mucli 
 easier to talk to tho frank and merry Flora, 
 who tii[)ped on by her sid(», looking very 
 fresh and trim and tourist-like, in her plain 
 gi'ay tra.veling hat and gra}'' tweed dress, 
 made as short as a sensible fashion wouhl 
 allow, and sliowing off to perfection a lithe, 
 well-rounded figure and a pair of shapely 
 and vciy capable feet. The party entered 
 what is now called Victoria Park, and 
 walked leisurely along the brink of the pre- 
 cipitous c;lilt' that here formed the river 
 
Ill" 
 
 III 
 
 12 
 
 |l0Wtt the ^xvtv io i\xt ^ea. 
 
 bank, stopping at frequent intervals the 
 better to take in some particular aspect of 
 the wonderful scene before them. 
 
 " That's the advantage of not taking a car- 
 riage, Acre," explained Kate, v/lio had re- 
 lentlessly refused all the entreaties of the 
 hackmen. " It's ever so much nicer to go on 
 your own feet, and stop just where you 
 please, and as long as you please ! We don't 
 want to hurry here. It's a charming walk, 
 now that all the old photographic saloons 
 and so-called museums have been cleared 
 away! By and by, when we feel a lillle 
 tired, we can take a carriage for the rest of 
 the way." 
 
 May soon felt the dreamlike sensation 
 come over her again, as they wandered 
 slowly along the steep cliffs of shade, and 
 came fn)in time to time on some specially 
 charming view of the white foaming sheet 
 of the American Falls, so dazzlingly pure in 
 its virgin beauty, as it vaults over the hol- 
 low cliff into the soft veil of mist that per- 
 petually rises about its feet — always dis- 
 persing and ever rising anew. Then, as 
 their eager gaze followed the line of tlie op- 
 posite bank, black, jagged and shining with 
 
§0vcn the '^ivtv U the ^ea. 
 
 13 
 
 its perpetual shower-bath of spray, what a 
 glorious revelation of almost infinite grand- 
 eur was that' curving, quivering sheet of 
 thundering surge, with its heart of purest 
 green, and its mighty masses of dazzling 
 foam, and its ascending clouds of milky 
 spray, — sometimes entirely oljscuring the 
 fall itself, as they float across the boiling 
 caldron, — sometimes partially dispersed and 
 spanned by the sof t-hued arc, which here, as 
 at the close of the thunder-storm, seems like 
 the tender kiss of love, hushing the wild 
 tumult into peace. From many other 
 l^oints she could get better views of indi- 
 vidual details, but no nobler view of the 
 mighty whole, than from this silent, never- 
 to-be-forgotten ramble. No one said much ; 
 even the lively Kate lapsed from her office 
 of cicerone^ or, rather, best fulfilled it, by 
 her silence ; for, when the infinite in Xature 
 speaks, the human voice may well be still. 
 And how grand a voice was that which the 
 cataract was speaking, — even to the outward 
 car ! The " voice of many waters " — mighty 
 as thunder, yet soft as a summer breeze — 
 seemed to leave the whole being immersed 
 and absorbed in the ceaseless rush and roar 
 
 ii 
 
i^ ^own the '^ivtv to the j5ea. 
 
 ■iii 
 
 of the " Thunder of Waters " — the majesty 
 of whose motion appeared to be, itself, 
 repose. 
 
 This feeling deepened as they advanced 
 nearer to the edge of the Ilorse-shoe Falls. 
 They i)aused on Table Kock, so much less 
 prominent than it used to be years ago. 
 At every turn they paused, lost in the grand- 
 eur of the present impression. It was 
 Kate who first roused them to a sense of the 
 passage of time, and gave the order to pro- 
 ceed, for the afternoon was swiftly gliding 
 
 by. 
 
 " Well! " said Hugh, " I never felt as if I 
 had got so near the state of self-annihila- 
 tion, the ^Nirvana'' we read about. I 
 don't wonder at suicides here, under the 
 fascinating influence of these rushing 
 waters ! " 
 
 " Really, Hugh," exclaimed his sister, " I 
 should scarcely have expected to hear you 
 rhapsodizing at such a rate ! We shall have 
 to look after him, Kate." Hugh replied 
 only by a half smile, but May noticed his 
 heightened color and the absorbed expres- 
 sion of his dark blue eyes, and began to feel 
 much less shy of him. She had much the 
 
gown the ^ivtx to the ^t^. 
 
 15 
 
 same feeling herself, though too reserved to 
 say it out. 
 
 Kate hurried them on, until they had 
 reached the v^ery edge of the great Horse- 
 shoe Fall. Here they stopped and sat down 
 on a long black beam of timber that lay on 
 the side of the quivering toi-rent, there seem- 
 ing almost stationary, as if pausing in awe 
 of the mighty leap before it. Just inside 
 the old beam lay a quiet pool, reflecting the 
 sky, in which a child might bathe its feet 
 without the slightest danger, while, on the 
 outside, swept the great resistless flood of 
 white-breasted rapids, moving down the 
 steep incline with a majesty only less in- 
 spiring than that of the cataract itself. 
 
 " Well ! don't you think Niagara deserves 
 its name, which means 'Thunder of 
 Waters ' ? " asked Kate, after a long silence. 
 
 " It scarcely could have one that better 
 describes the impression it makes," said 
 Hugh Macnab, in a low, meditative tone. 
 
 " Are i/ou tired yet, Hugli ? " asked Kate ; 
 " shall we walk on — it's a good mile — or take 
 a carriage ? " 
 
 " Walk, by all means," said Hugh, " if the 
 rest of you are not tired." 
 
16 §0UJtt the 3ivtt t0 the ^t)x. 
 
 They walked leisurely on by the shore, 
 washed by the swift hurrying water, while, 
 above them, to their right, Kate pointed out 
 the railway track along which they had 
 come, and the point at which they had 
 stopped, in order to get the celebrated 
 " Fall view." 
 
 " I shall never forget it," said Flora. " I 
 was a little disappointed at first about the 
 height. I couldn't see that from there, nor 
 realize it at all ! But the grandeur of the 
 scale quite took my breath away. It was 
 like seeing Mont Blanc for the first time. 
 It takes a little while before you can feel 
 yourself grow up to it ! " 
 
 " That's it exactly ! " exclaimed Kate. 
 "That just expresses my own feeUngs when 
 I saw them first. Well, May, you look 
 sober enough over it all." 
 
 " Oh, Kate, it's too grand for words ; I'm 
 trying to * grow up to it,' " she added, smil- 
 ing. 
 
 They reached the bridge leading to the 
 lovely Sister or Cynthia Islands, nestling 
 amid the tumult and foam as safely ps in 
 the embrace of a calmly winding river where 
 the constant shower-bath of the spray keeps 
 
g0uitt the ^ivcr U the ^e«. 
 
 17 
 
 the foliage and the ferns at their greenest 
 and freshest ; and the contrast between the 
 tranquil beauty of the woodland ways and 
 the turmoil of the rapids beyond greatly 
 heightened the charm of the scene. 
 
 " Now, we nmst take a carriage back," 
 said Kate decidedly; and no one objected 
 now, for all were tolerably tired, between 
 the physical fatigue and the mental strain 
 involved in the mere appreciation of so 
 much beauty. They stop2)ed for a few min- 
 utes at the Burning Spring, to look, as in 
 duty bound, a-t that iiatural curiosity, and 
 then settled themselvcb comfortably in the 
 carriage they had hailed, while Kate gave 
 the order to return by Prospect Drive, along 
 the bluffs above, whence they could take in 
 the whole sweexi of the grand river from 
 Navy Island, at the foot of Lake Erie, to 
 the dark, narrow gorge below the Falls, 
 where the waters fret and toss their crests, 
 like angry coursers fretting at the curbing 
 bit. 
 
 "Now," said Kate, "if it were not so late 
 already, I should have had you driven to 
 Lundy's Lane, — only about a mile and a half 
 west of us ; but it's too late, for to-day." 
 
w 
 
 18 
 
 Sown the '^xvtt U the jl^a. 
 
 "What is remarkable about Lundy's 
 Lano ? " inquired Hugh Maciiab. " I confess 
 my ignorance." 
 
 " Oh, of course ; one doesn't expect yofi 
 to be posted in Canadian history," Kate rc- 
 phed. "Lundy's Lane is where the British 
 tro()[)S and Canadian volunteers beat the 
 Americans eighty years ago, when they 
 tried to take Canada." 
 
 " Oh ! I see. Pardon my ignorance. I 
 never happened to hear of such things as 
 battle-grounds in connection with Niagara. 
 I shall have to read ux^ these historical as- 
 sociations." 
 
 " May can tell you all about it," replied 
 Kate. " She's great on Canadian history. 
 And there is something about it in my 
 guide book; so you can read up in the 
 evenings all about Lundy';^ Lane and 
 Queenston Heights, and then you can see 
 them both, if you care enough about it." 
 
 The drive was charming, under the 
 slanting rays of the August sun ; the sky 
 and water taking on such exquisite ethe- 
 real tints, the iris on the clouds of spray so 
 delicately bright, that their gaze was con- 
 stantly turning backwards as they glided 
 
 I I 
 
 ! 
 
§om% the ^ivct U the ,9cn» 
 
 19 
 
 [tory. 
 
 my 
 
 the 
 
 and 
 
 see 
 
 the 
 sky 
 jthe- 
 ly so 
 con- 
 Lided 
 
 rapidly over the smooth higli-road back 
 towards the " Chf ton." 
 
 " Now for a rest, then dinner — and tlien, 
 you know, we shall have tho moon, and a 
 lovely time for watching the Falls by moon- 
 light." 
 
 Kate's programme was fully enjoyed — 
 not least the latter portion of it. They 
 were all tempted forth for another 
 stroll along the river bank, halting again at 
 some of the points from whence they had 
 so greatly enjoyed the afternoon views, to 
 compare the difference of tiie moonlight ef- 
 fect — less distinct, but more romantic and 
 suggestive. Kate and Flora preferred, on 
 the whole, the play of color and cheerful 
 light of day, while Hugh Macnab endorsed 
 May's preference for the moonlight, which 
 is as effective at Niagara as at Melrose 
 Abbey. They sat long on the piazza that 
 night, saying little, but silently enjoying 
 the marvelous scene — the glory Oii the 
 white, shimmering water, the solemn maj- 
 esty of the ascending column of misty 
 spray, and the strong contrast of light and 
 shade — until the picture seemed to have 
 becomu a part of their mental conscious- 
 
20 
 
 Jawtt the a^ivcr to the jlea. 
 
 ness, never to be forgotten and a "joy 
 forever." 
 
 Next morning the party met at breakfast 
 in good time, as they had a long day before 
 them, and meant to make the best possible 
 use of it. It was a charming morning, and 
 tliey all set off in the best possible spirits, 
 enjoying the Falls both in the present and 
 the future. To begin with, however, there 
 was a difficulty to be got over. The 
 juniors were all eager to cross the river in 
 the ferry-boat, so as to have the glorious 
 view of 1 he great cataract from a point of 
 view which gives a different and grander 
 impression than almost any other. But 
 Aunt Bella stoutly refui^cd even to con- 
 sider the suggestion of trusting herself to 
 the tender mercies of a cockle-shell of a 
 boat tossed on that " boiling flood." The 
 difficulty was finally settled by Kate, who 
 put her aunt under the care of a hackman 
 who promised to take her across the sus- 
 pension ]jridge and meet them at Prospect 
 Point. The rest of the party, in high glee, 
 followed the winding road that leads down 
 to the ferry, and were soon packed into the 
 large, heavy skiff. Here, indeed, they had 
 
^0\xn the ^iva io the <^ea. 
 
 21 
 
 the full view of both of the iiiuj^iflcent 
 falls and of the boiling, whitt; ciiklron be- 
 low, and tlie dark, malachite-green rapids 
 that seem to press like a solid body down 
 the narrow river gorge, after leaving the 
 turbulence of the boiling basin behind 
 them. The cool spray dashed in the faces 
 of tlie happy party as the boat danced 
 lightly over the heaving waters, under the 
 strong strokes of the sturdy rowers ; and, 
 when they reached the other side, after a 
 short passage, they all felt as if the ex- 
 citing pleasure had been quite too brief. 
 On landing they ascended in the elevator to 
 the bank above, and at once took their way 
 to Prospect Point, where they stood for 
 some time lost hi the fascination of the 
 scene before them — the majestic American 
 Fall rushing down in snowy foam from the 
 slope of furious white-crested rapids just 
 above tlie headlong torrent. The thunder- 
 ing sheet filled their ears with its mighty 
 music, and as they could now see its out- 
 line curved inwards almost as much as 
 tliat of the " Ilorse-shoe " itself, for, of 
 course, the action of falling water is the 
 same on both sides of the river. But the 
 
I 
 
 22 
 
 goujtt ttte S^ver to the J>ftt. 
 
 fact that the rapids are here compressed by 
 scattered islands seems to add to the force 
 and fury with which they dash themselves 
 wildly over the stony ledges with a resist- 
 less strength which makes us realize the 
 power of the one spiritual force which is 
 described as stronger than " many waters." 
 After they had stood silently watching the 
 ceaseless progress of the waters, until all 
 their senses had seemed to be filled with its 
 mighty rush and roar, they joined Mrs. 
 Sandford in the carriage, and were speedily 
 driven across the bridge leading over the 
 rapids to Goat Island, which seemed to 
 May like a little tranquil paradise nestling 
 amid the wild fury of the raging floods. 
 Here, indeed, they could have all varieties 
 of scenery. The whole party left the car- 
 riage, so that they might feel at liberty to 
 enjoy all tlie charming nooks of the island 
 at their own sweet will. Aunt Bella, 
 however, preferring to make a leisurely 
 circuit in tlie carriage, and take them up 
 again at the end of it. 
 
 "Only see that Hugh doesn't tire himself 
 out," she culled out as they left her be- 
 hind, and Kate, who noticed the young 
 
§o\xti the Itivft ta tbe jifea. 
 
 23 
 
 man's rising color and expression of re- 
 pressed annoyance at tlie allusion to them, 
 hurried into a lively talk about the natural 
 history of the island, explaining that it was 
 fast wearing away under the force of the 
 torrent ; that it had been gradually grow- 
 ing smaller during the last hundred years, 
 and that probably, in the course of another 
 century, it would have almost entirely dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 " Now, come round this way," she said, 
 " and soon you will almost forget that you 
 are on the edge of the biggest waterfall in 
 the world." 
 
 They followed her lead, taking the wood- 
 land path to the left, catching charming 
 glimpses of the fleecy rapids between the 
 overhanging boughs of the trees, on which 
 birds sang sweetly and merry squirrels 
 frisked and chattered, as if in a solitary 
 wilderness far from the busy haunts of 
 men. As they came out presently on the 
 open ground at the head of the island, they 
 found themselves beside " still waters," the 
 shoal water rippling gently over the gravel, 
 as if it were a quiet reach of woodland 
 stream; while, above them, lay u smooth 
 
24 gofwrn the '^ivtv io the jle». 
 
 stretch of Lake Erie, with Grand Island in 
 the distance, its apparent placidity conceal- 
 ing the fierce undercurrent which no 
 power of man could stem. 
 
 "One might 'moralize the spectacle* to 
 any extent," said Hugh Macnah, as Kate 
 told some stories of the deadly strength of 
 that hidden current — that delusively peace- 
 ful expanse of water. 
 
 "But we haven't time for moralizing," 
 retorted Kate. " Now for a change of scene." 
 
 A change of scene it was, when they came 
 out on one of the light rustic bridges which 
 lead across the foaming rapids to the near- 
 est small island, and from one to another of 
 these fairy islets, so tiny that it only seems 
 strange that they are not swept bodily over 
 the Falls, with their wave- worn rocks and 
 trees, gnarled and twisted by the prevailhig 
 winds. Under the bridges they saw pretty 
 silver cascades, and swift rushing streams, 
 looking innocent enough, but all charged 
 with a portion of the same overpowering 
 force. On the outer verge of the farthest 
 one they stood, gazing across the boiling 
 sea of rapids that extends unbroken from 
 the Canada shore. Kate pointed out the 
 
So\x\\ the Slvcr t0 the ^ea. 
 
 25 
 
 column of Hpray wliicli rose at one point, 
 j)r()(lii(;L'(l by the collision of cross-currents, 
 diivin;^ the water f()rcil)ly ui)\vards. Then, 
 recrossin^ the little bridg(;s, they slowly 
 walked alon^ the road leading by the ed^^e 
 of tlie island overlooking the rapids, till 
 they found themselves standing on the 
 verge of Iho great Tlorse-slioe Fall. 
 
 "Our Canadian Fall is the gnindest, after 
 all," said ]May. 
 
 " Yes, " replied Kate, " only it isn't all 
 Canadian, you see, for the boundary-lino 
 runs somewhere about the middle of the 
 river. The Americans have more than their 
 own share — all their own, and nearly half 
 of ours." 
 
 " I shouldn't think it mattered much," 
 ol)served Hugh, "as they certainly can't 
 take it away, or fence it in, and forbid tres- 
 passers." 
 
 Tlieir eyes followed the long, irregular 
 curve, more like the figure ^five than like a 
 horse-shoe, and so deeply indented in tlie 
 center that they could scarcely mark the 
 center of the abyss, whose almost apjile- 
 green tint was every moment hidden by llio 
 perpetually ascending clouds of milky spray, 
 
§0Wtt the stiver U the <?«»♦ 
 
 sometimes touched by the tinted bow, and 
 always descending into the cloudy veil that 
 eternally conceals the seething abyss below. 
 
 " This is Terrapin Rock," said Kate, after 
 they had looked in silence for a time ; " and 
 there used to be a tower here from which 
 you could look down on all this wild raging 
 commotion, feeling the strong stone struc- 
 ture tremble beneath you. It came down at 
 last — or was pulled down, because it was 
 thought dangerous, I forget which." 
 
 " Well, this is fearful enough for me," 
 said Flora, turning away, at last, with 
 Kate, while May still stood lost in the fas- 
 cination of the scene, till roused by Kate's 
 call, when she discovered that Hugh Mac- 
 nab had lingered also, absorbed in the same 
 fa^chiation, and was now waiting to help 
 her back across the little bridge which 
 joined the rocky point to the island. 
 
 " It seems like waking up to one's own 
 identity again, after having lost it in a 
 vague sense of ' the Immensities," remarked 
 Hugh, as they joined the others ; and May 
 felt that the words exactly expressed her 
 own feeling. 
 
 ** But we must wake up in earnest," said 
 
Sown the ^ivrt U the Jfea, 
 
 Kate, " and hurry on, or Aunt Bella will be 
 certainly imagining that we have all gone 
 over the Falls." 
 
 They hurried along the smooth, broad 
 road till they at last came up with Aunt 
 Bella, seated on a rustic bench, with a large 
 basket beside her. 
 
 " Oh, my dears ! what have — " she began, 
 but Kate playfully laid her finger on her 
 lips, saying : " Wo are all liere. Auntie, 
 quite safe, and now we are going to look at 
 the Fall from Luna Island." 
 
 " My dear, not I ! I never could go there 
 since that dreadful thing happened there, 
 years ago. It makes me faint, just to think 
 of it! If you go, do be careful! Don't go 
 and stand near the brink ! " 
 
 " No ; we'll be careful, I assure you. Xow 
 don't worry about us ! We'll be l>ack soon, 
 and then we'll have our luncheon." And 
 she led the way down the stair that leads 
 from Goat Island to the charming bit of 
 bosky green whicli cuts off the small " Cen- 
 tral Fall" from the great "American Fall." 
 May and Mora both exclaimed with delight 
 over ils wonderful combination of beauty 
 and terror, its glancing, silvery sheen and 
 
28 
 
 goivu the |{ivet U the jJea. 
 
 terrible velocity, Jis it rushed past them at 
 headloiif^ speed, on to the misty depths be- 
 low. And while they stood fascinated by 
 the sight, Kate told them the tale of the 
 tragedy which had happened there on one 
 bright summer day like this, when a young 
 man thoughtlessly caught up a little child 
 and sportingly held her over the brink, — 
 wlicn tlie struggling little one somehow es- 
 caped from his grasp, and the horror-stricken 
 young man ma<lly leaped after her, both 
 being instantly lost to sight in the wild rush 
 of the torrent. 
 
 Hugh ]\hicnal) turned away with a 
 blanched face. " What a pen.alty for a mo- 
 mentary thouglitlessness !" he said, in a 
 scarcely audible tone. 
 
 And a hush seemed to steal over the lit- 
 tle party, as they turned silently away from 
 the fateful spot. 
 
 " Yes," remarked Kate, as they reascend- 
 ed the stairway to Goat Island, "the old 
 Indian legend was n(^t so far wrong — that 
 the deity of the Falls demanded a victim 
 yearly. There is scarcely a year in wlucli 
 more than one victim is not secured by 
 these insatiable wattu's, though it is not 
 
Down t\\t ^mv U the ^f cm. 
 
 m 
 
 always a young maiden — as the legend has 
 it." 
 
 When they reached Mrs. Sandford, they 
 found that she had spread the contents of 
 the basket on a white cloth on the grass, 
 and they were all hungry enough to enjoy 
 their luncheon in the midst of such roman- 
 tic surroundings. After the lunch was fin- 
 islied, and they had all rested for awhile, 
 they made their way to the little staircase 
 close by, down which they were all to go in 
 order to get the wonderful view from be- 
 low. Mrs. Sandford chose to descend in 
 the elevator, and insisted that Hugh should 
 accompany her, while the three girls ran 
 merrily down the long stair. Flora counting 
 the steps on the way. Hugh was deter- 
 mined, in spite of all his aunt's persuasive 
 eloquence, to don a waterproof suit in order 
 to go under the Falls and explore the Cave 
 of the Winds; and Kate agreed to be his 
 companion, the rest preferring to venture 
 along the rocky pathway, only so far as 
 they oould safely do, under cover of their 
 umbrellas. Mrs. Sandford took her seat on 
 a mass of black rock, declaring that she 
 would remam there, in fear and trembling, 
 
t 
 
 i; 
 
 ■ I 
 
 30 
 
 §omx the ^mv to thi? ^a. 
 
 until they all returned in safety from their 
 expedition. May and Flora strolled about 
 the surrounding rocks, looking up, with 
 some dread, at the precipices towering above 
 them, and at the tremendous colunms of 
 falling water, which filled in the view in 
 every direction. Presently, three frightful 
 figures in bullcy garments of yellow oilskin 
 emerged from tlie building at tlie foot ct the 
 stairs, from two of which they presently, 
 to their great anmsement, recognized the 
 voices of Hugh and Kate, accompanied by 
 the guide. Allowing these extraordinary 
 figures to precede them. May and Flora 
 clung closely together, holding an umbrella 
 between tliem, and following, as closely as 
 they could, along the narrow pathway, 
 where the spray rained down perpetually on 
 the shining black rocks below. As they left 
 the American Fall farther behind them, 
 skirting the rugged brown cliffs that sup- 
 port Goat Island high overhead, the path- 
 way became comparatively dry, and they 
 could see more clearly before them the great 
 Fail they were ai^proaching from beneath — 
 its tremendous wall of fleecy foam rising 
 high above them into the deep blue sky, and 
 
§omx the Oliver to the ^tn* 
 
 81 
 
 losing? itself below in the floating clouds of 
 spray, which they soon began to feel again 
 in a renewal of the light shower. The two 
 girls had to stop, at last, and stood spell- 
 bound, watching the mighty expanse of 
 eternally falling water, its fleecy, flashuig 
 masses of milk-white foam, and its gray im- 
 palpable billows of ever-ascending spray — 
 through the rifts in which they could ever 
 and anon catch glimpses of that seemingly 
 sohd gray wall of water behind. Strange 
 sensations of awe at its solenm grandeur 
 alternating with the sense of the excpii- 
 site beauty of the scene absorbed their 
 consciousness, while they mechanically ob- 
 served, also, the yellow figures — soinfinitesi- 
 mally small beside the mighty cataract — as 
 they passed onward, and were for a few 
 moments, to their momentary terror, lost to 
 view among the clouds of spray that hid 
 their farther progress. Very soon, however, 
 they emerged again, and soon regained the 
 point where the girls were standing, breath- 
 less and dripping, but in overflowing spirits. 
 
 " And what did you see, when you got in 
 behind the Falls?" asked Flora. 
 
 " We certainly did not ace much," replied 
 
 »•' 
 
32 
 
 gown the 2^iicr io the J^a. 
 
 her brother. " Everything visible seemed 
 swallowed up in a gray mist, but the whole 
 experience was a wonderful one ! I wouldn't 
 have missed it for anything," * 
 
 " Well, I'm quite contented with what 
 I've had ! " said Flora. 
 
 May had for a moment a little wistful 
 sense of having missed something, but, after 
 all, intense satisfaction preponderated. 
 
 Returning again to the starting- point, 
 they gave Mrs. Sandford reassuring evidence 
 of their safety, so far, and promising a quick 
 return, they pursued their way to the en- 
 trance of the "Cave of the Winds," the 
 name given to the hollow arched over by 
 the concave rock and the falling sheet of 
 the lovely little Central Fall. May and 
 Flora again followed under their umbrella, 
 as far as they dared, and there waited, en- 
 joying the wonder and novelty of the sight. 
 INIay gazed into the mysterious cavern be- 
 fore her, veiled by the clouds of milky 
 spray, as if it were indeed the veritable 
 Cave of ^olus, in which were confined the 
 wailing winds which clamored to be let 
 loose on their mission of destruction, and 
 zii'Of it might be, of blessing; whose hollow 
 
gowtt the 3'wn' *<* the ^tn. 
 
 33 
 
 
 it 
 
 roar seemed blended with the full soft 
 " tluinder of waters." 
 
 Miiy had lost all count of time, absoi'])ed 
 in the scene before her, when Flora's r(v 
 lieved exclamation, "Oh, here they are iit 
 last ! " recalled her absorbed senses, and she 
 perceived the dripping figures of what 
 might have been disguised river-gods, 
 scrambling back along the wet, rocky path- 
 way. 
 
 "Oh, it was grand!'''' Kate declared. 
 " I'll never forget it ! To stand, just be- 
 tween those two lovely falls, till you felt as 
 if you were actually a part of them ! And 
 then we went on a little way behind the 
 American sheet, too." 
 
 " Well, Hugh, are you satisfied nov) ? " 
 asked Flora. Hugh's eyes were shining 
 through the dripping moisture, and his face, 
 so far as it was visible, was glowing with 
 exercise and excitement. 
 
 "Satisfied? No !— delighted ? Yes. But 
 when is the eye satisfied with seeing? The 
 grandest sights only seem to quicken our 
 aspirations towards the Infinite." 
 
 But Aunt Bella was now beckoning to the 
 party to hasten back, and, as soon as they 
 8 
 
H Ijowtt the givev U the jjfea. 
 
 i 
 
 were within speaking distance, she hurried 
 Hugh off to change his clothes as speedily 
 as possible. Kate and he were soon out of 
 their grotesque disguise, and in a few min- 
 utes they were all ascending, in the ele- 
 vator, to the upper bank. Here they found 
 the carriage awaiting them, which had been 
 ordered to come back to meet them, and dis- 
 covered, to their surprise, that they would 
 have to drive home as rapidly as possible if 
 they wished to be at the Clifton iu time for 
 the hotel dinner. It was a quiet drive across 
 the suspension bridge, with the Falls to 
 their left, and the deep green gorge of the 
 winding river to their right. Each felt the 
 silent enjoyment of the scenes they had just 
 left, and of the fair evening view around 
 them — with the wonderful Falls always in 
 the distance, — quite enough for the present, 
 without trying to talk about it. Even Mrs. 
 Sandford, usually discursive, was too much 
 fatigued with the day's outing to do her 
 usual part in the matter of conversation. 
 
 They made up for it later, however, 
 when, too tired for further roaming, they 
 all sat on the balcony watching the sunset 
 tints fade into those of the brightening 
 
§mti the ^iver to the S^tn. 
 
 moonlight, whose whiteness seemed to har- 
 monize so well with the snowy sheen of the 
 Falls. Kate got out her guide-book, and, 
 with occasional appeals to May to fill up her 
 outlines, gave the strangers a few particu- 
 lars as to the historical associations of the 
 locality. "You see," she said, "all this 
 frontier was the natural scene of hostili- 
 ties when the two countries were at war. 
 This is one of the points at which New 
 York troops could most easily make their 
 entrance into Canada." And then Hugh 
 Macnab, by dint of cross-questioning, drew 
 from the two girls, in turn, the main out- 
 lines of the war of 1812, concluding with the 
 battle of Lundy's Lane. As they at last 
 said good-night to each other, and to the 
 beauty of the moonlit Falls, they noticed re- 
 gretfully that a yellowish halo had formed 
 round the moon. 
 
 "Yes," said Mrs. Sandford, "it's quite 
 likely we shall have a rainy day to-morrow, 
 and, when it once begins, I shouldn't wonder 
 if we had two or three days of it, after such 
 a dry time ! " 
 
 " Well, we won't believe anything quite 
 so dreadful just now," said Kate. " We'll 
 go to sleep now, and hope for the best.'* 
 
36 
 
 §0wn the $ivtt to the jlea. 
 
 Mrs. Sandford was somewhat triumphant 
 in the justification of her weather wisdom, 
 when they lieard, next morning, the sound 
 of the rain pattering down on the veranda 
 without. The morning did^ indeed, look 
 gray, dull, unpromising, as even a July day 
 can sometimes look. May was rather 
 mournful over the loss of the ligl t and 
 color, and the general change that had come 
 over the landscape. But Kate persisted in 
 her optimistic declaration that she believed 
 it would soon clear up, and then everything 
 would be even more lovely than before. 
 Meantime they would ha^e the chance of 
 seeing how the Falls looked in bad weather ! 
 
 And, indeed, they were by no means 
 without beauty, even now. The purity of 
 the central green was gone, but the soft 
 gray tones melting away into gray mist, 
 under a gray sky, gave the effect of a sketch 
 rather than a finished picture, with sug- 
 gestions of sublimity far beyond the visible. 
 
 As they wistfully scanned the sky after 
 breakfast, watching for a promising gleam 
 of blue, Kate proposed a programme to be 
 carried out as soon as it should clear. 
 
 "You see it will be too wet for much 
 
§o\xn the Jlivcv to the Jfe». 
 
 ft7 
 
 be 
 
 walking and scrambling about, which would 
 never do for Hugh, at any rate. Now, let 
 us order a carriage and take a nice leisurely- 
 drive all about the country. We've seen 
 the Falls pretty well now, and we can do 
 the battle-grounds — Lundy's Lane and 
 Queenston Heights, and take the Whirl- 
 pool on the way." 
 
 " Well, we'll see," said Mrs. Sandford re- 
 signedly, " if it does clear." So she settled 
 down to her knitting. Hugh Macnab sat 
 scribbling in his note-book ; Flora annised 
 herself at the piano, and May hovered about 
 the veranda, still enthralled by the spell of 
 the " Thunder of Waters," even in a washed- 
 out sketch, as Kate styled it. But by and 
 by, a warm, soft gleam stole through the 
 mist-laden atmosphere, small patches of 
 blue sky appeared, and, in a very short 
 time, the color had, as if by magic, come 
 back to the scene; the foliage stood out 
 greener than before, and the emerald once 
 more gemmed the center of the Horse-shoe 
 Falls, though somewhat less than it had 
 previously appeared. 
 
 The carriage was quickly summoned, and 
 they were soon rolling smoothly along the 
 
88 
 
 §0wn the "^ivtv U iht ^a. 
 
 ti 
 
 road that led away from the river, through 
 the quiet little village of JJruniuiondville — 
 back to Luiidy's Lane. 
 
 " You see we are really beginning at the 
 end," said Kate. "Lundy's Lane came at 
 the close of the war, in 1814, and it began 
 in October, 1812, at C^ueenston Heights, 
 which we are going to see this afternoon. 
 For, you see, the American troops kept ha- 
 rassing this border for a couple of years." 
 
 "Just as your English forefathers used 
 to harass my Scotch ones long ago," stiid 
 Hugh. 
 
 "Oh, and I suppose the Scotch never 
 did likewise! Indeed, I rather think they 
 were a good deal the worst," laughed Kate. 
 " But, at any rate, this sort of thing had been 
 going on for nearly two years, keeping the 
 poor people in a state of constant dread, and 
 I think Sir Gordon Drummond and his six- 
 teen hundred men, part of them British 
 troops and part Canadian volunteers, must 
 have been pretty tired of it. He made up 
 his mind, however, that, come what might, 
 he wouldn't retire before even five thousand 
 Americans. That hill there was where he 
 stationed his troops, and, as the guide- 
 
g0«jtt the '^'mx U the S^iJX, 
 
 '6d 
 
 book says, they stai/ed there, though the 
 Aniericims did tlieir best to drive tlieni off. 
 At hist they tired out tlie Ainericiin gen- 
 eral, who fell off with his defeated uriny to 
 their camp, away up there beyond Chip- 
 pewa — hi the direction we walked the first 
 afternoon — and I believe tliey never halted 
 till they got back to Fort Erie, from whence 
 they had come." 
 
 "Your Canadian volunteers must have 
 been a i)lucky lot of fellows; no disgrace 
 to the British flag they bore," Hugh ob- 
 served. 
 
 "Yes, and it wasn't only the 7)ien who 
 were plucky," May remarked, Homewluit 
 shyly. " The summer before I,undy's l.ane, 
 a woman did one of the bravest deeds of the 
 whole war. Iler name was Laura Secord, 
 and she was the wife of a militiaman who 
 had been crippled in the war. She found 
 out that the American troops were on the 
 march from Fort George, down at the mouth 
 of the river, with the object of cutting off a 
 little garrison of volunteers entrenched at a 
 place called Beaver Dam. If the Americans 
 could have managed this it would have been 
 a great blow to the Canadians 3 and, as there 
 
40 
 
 §ttvcn tint '^ivtx U thf ^m. 
 
 was no one to warn them, this brave young 
 woman determined to walk all the way — 
 and a very lonely way it was — through the 
 woods, to warn Fitzgibbon, the British com- 
 mander. She succeeded in getting through 
 the Yankee lines, and arrived safely at the 
 little Canadian garrison; and when the 
 American troops arrived they met so hot a 
 reception from sharp-shooters concealed in 
 the woods, with a few British soldiers in 
 front, that the commander thought he was 
 trapped into an encounter with the whole 
 British force, and precipitately surrendered 
 his six hundred men, guns and all, to a 
 Canadian force of much less than half his 
 own numbers." 
 
 " Well," exclaimed Hugh, his eye lighting, 
 and his cheek flushing, " that teas a brave 
 woman. Such an exploit as that, in our 
 old border wars would have been immortal- 
 ized in a ballad." 
 
 *' It has been the subject of two or three 
 Canadian poems," Kate replied. "May 
 knows all about them, and I have no doubt 
 she could recite some of the verses about 
 Laura Secord." 
 
 And May, on being pressed, recited a por- 
 
gown the give t to the ^ea. 
 
 41 
 
 tion of a ballad rather shyly, but still with 
 u good deal of spirit, and seeming to feel 
 more at home with the formidable Hugh, 
 througli their fellow-feeling about such tra- 
 ditionary tales. They looked at the little 
 hill and tried to imagine the scene, when, at 
 sunset, the guns mingled their ominous roar 
 with the majestic thunder of the Falls, un- 
 til recalled by Mrs. Sandford to the recol- 
 lection that it was nearly lunch- time. They 
 drove some distance further along the pretty 
 shady lane, with its bordering gardens and 
 orchards on either side, and then rapidly 
 returned to the hotel. 
 
 In the afternoon they set out again to 
 drive down the river, — the afternoon being 
 a lovely one, — the air fragrant with wan- 
 dering scents from the woods, and the roads 
 fi'eed from dust by the recent rain. They 
 drove past the little town of Niagara Falls, 
 or Clifton, as it is still sometimes called, at 
 the point where the railway crosses the 
 river on its great suspension bridge, and 
 whose chief center of life is the great rail- 
 way station for the whole vicinity. Leav- 
 ing that behind, they followed the road 
 along the river bank till they turned in at 
 
42 
 
 §0\xn the §tittv t0 the #e». 
 
 the gate leading to the descent to the Whirl- 
 pool. A steep, wooded incline descended 
 the abrupt and densely wooded cliifs, down 
 which, at intervals, ran a car, drawn up and 
 down by a chain that passed over a wheel 
 at the top. The fatigue of a descent in any 
 other way was not to be thought of ; so, 
 although this way looked rather formidable, 
 they all connnitted themselves to the car, 
 except ]\Irs. Sand ford, who preferred to re- 
 main at the top until their return — remark- 
 ing that she had no fancy for tobogganing, 
 especially on dry land ! And, indeed, the 
 dizzy speed at which they djscendedwas 
 not altogether unlike tobogganing — at least, 
 according to Kate — which, Hugh said, was 
 some satisfaction, since he should not bo 
 able to enjoy the thing itself. At the foot 
 of the rapid descent they h.ad only to follow 
 a woodland path for a short distance in 
 order to get a full view of the boiling and 
 raging torrent; the waters, to a depth of 
 more than two hundred feet, being com- 
 pressed into a narrow channel of about a 
 hundred yards between the high precipitous 
 banks, till the confined and chafing stream 
 geemed to riao iuto a ridge of great aeeth- 
 
§o\vn the S^mv to the ,^eiv. 
 
 43 
 
 ing, foamini^^ waves, t<)ssiii<; their heads up 
 hke small geysers, or waterspouts, some 
 twenty feet high, as they dashed furiously 
 iiucaiiist eaeh other with all the foreo of the 
 strong hidden currcMits. Just here, where 
 the river swerved suddenly to the right, the 
 sweep of the river round the Anieriean clitf 
 made a sort of back-eddy in the bay formed 
 by the receding heights above them — where, 
 mider a surface of apparently still water, 
 its solenui depths, dark and sond)er, like a 
 mountain tarn set in the midst of dusky 
 pi'.ies, lay concealed, save for a few whirling 
 eddies, a fierce vortex, which nothing that ap- 
 [)r()achedit could resist. Looking only on the 
 placiid surface, it was diflicult to i-ealize the 
 liidden power beneath, until ITugli iNFacnab 
 tiii'ewa large piece of stick near the cent(M', 
 where they saw it continue to gyrate with 
 tremendous speed as long as they cared to 
 watch it. Kate said there were gruesome 
 stories of bodies which had been carried 
 over the Falls, reappearing here for a horri- 
 ble dance of death, which it made them 
 shudder to imagine. Hugh enthusiasticidly 
 declared that the dark and savage grandenr 
 of this lonely gorge, with its steep over- 
 
44 
 
 §oxv\\ the ^ivtv U tUf jlea. 
 
 hanging heights, rising in their dusky green 
 against the sky, like prison walls about the 
 little Maiilstroni, was tlie finest bit of scen- 
 ery he had yet seen about the Falls, and 
 seemed just the place in which to imagine 
 any tragedy. 
 
 "Can't you hivent one for it?" asked 
 Flora. 
 
 "Nothing worthy of the scene, I am 
 afraid," he replied. " It recalls Schiller's 
 'Diver,' though, which has been haunting 
 me constantly during the last few days. Do 
 you remember it?" 
 
 Kate did not, but May had read Lord Lyt- 
 ton's translation of it, and remembered it, 
 though not distinctly. 
 
 " Couldn't you repeat a verse or two of 
 your own translation ? " said Flora. 
 
 " I should have to repeat my own, if I did 
 any," he said, smiling, " for it's the only one 
 I could manage to remeiuber." 
 
 " Well, give us a bit of it, do," commanaed 
 Kate. 
 
 Hugh thought for a moment. " I'll give 
 you the two stanzas that might do for a 
 description of the present scene," he said, 
 and went on to recite, with great spirit : 
 
§oxvn the '^ivtv to the ^tn. 
 
 45 
 
 •• And it boils and it seethes, and it hisses and 
 roars, 
 As if fire struggled fierce with the wave, 
 And a misty spray-cloud from its bosom outpours. 
 
 And the chasing floods endlessly rave; 
 And, like thunder remote, with its low distant 
 rumbles, 
 Tlio foam-crested stream from the dark cafion 
 tumbles ! 
 
 ' r.at at last comes a lull in the turbulent wai', 
 Aiid black in the midst of white foam 
 
 A yawning rift gapes in the center, that far 
 Leads downwards to bottomless gloom ; 
 
 And lo! all the surges, swift, rushing and roaring. 
 Down into the whirlpool are endlessly pouring ! " 
 
 "It has the merit of beiiii^ pretty literal, 
 at any rate," he added, as they all tliaiiked 
 him, while Flora whispered to May that llie 
 whole translation was in the new book that 
 was nearly ready. " But it is so strong and 
 terse in the original that it is extremely dif- 
 ficult to render w^tli any justice in a trans- 
 lation." 
 
 "It would do for a description of t/n'.^ 
 whirlpool, at any rate," said Kate. And 
 then she told them of a real tragedy, not 
 unlike that of " The Diver," which had been 
 recently enacted there, the feat of a bold 
 
46 
 
 Down the '^xvtv io the j^ea. 
 
 swimmer, who had ventured to oppose his 
 own strength and skill to that resistless 
 force of \\o flood, with a similar result. 
 
 " x'oor jgUow ! '■ said Hugh, " that's trag- 
 edy enough for the place without inventing 
 one. But why will man be so foolhardy ? " 
 
 " I o'^n t'.:U you of another daring feat, 
 thnt rtvcveuv^d though," replied Kate, 
 "though ' W' xi».ght have seemed foolhardy, 
 to. ." Ai'd she v. at on u, tell tiicjii liovv' a 
 littb sieiiiii> ^ot i the "Maid of the 
 
 Mist,'' which useii. :o . / up and down, just 
 below the Falls, in order to give visitors 
 the same view they now had from the ferry 
 boat, had finally been taken down the river 
 to Niagara, at its mouth, piloted through 
 these fierce rapids and that greedy whirl- 
 pool ; and how, when at last the pilot had 
 successfully accomplished his anxious task, 
 and left the boat at its dock, he looked at 
 least ten years older than he had done only 
 an hour or two before. 
 
 While they talked Flora was trying to 
 make a rapid sketch of the view had from 
 where they sat on the bank — just as a help 
 to remember it by, she said, for there was 
 far too much to attempt in a hasty sketch, 
 
§mn the '^xvtt ta the ^ea. 
 
 47 
 
 3lp 
 
 and the others were not sorry for an excuse 
 to linger a little longer in so striking and 
 picturesque a spot ; but at last they felt 
 compelled to bid it farewell, and tore them- 
 selves away, ascending in the same way in 
 which they had come down, not without 
 some tremor on the part of the girls, lest 
 the stout chain should part while they 
 were on the way. licjoining Mrs. Sand- 
 
 ^/-M»*^ TfTl-»/-\ i-%r»r« /-»»-»>#^'nri-» trr\i»xr i ^>-» i^o ii oi'^ "f* "fnoir 
 
 were soon in the carriage again, but before 
 pursuing their onward way they made a 
 little detour, driving through a charming 
 glen which led gradually downwards, under 
 embowering trees and among mossy rocks 
 and ferny glades, to where a pretty little 
 bay lay, cut off from the raving stream by 
 a beach of weather-worn pebbles. At the 
 other extremity of the picturesque glen lay 
 a little placid pool formed by an eddy of 
 the river, at which Hugh declared he should 
 like to stand all day with his fishing-rod, 
 taking in leisurely all the influences of the 
 tranquil scene. Flora, also, went into rapt- 
 ures over the place, which she said re- 
 minded her so much of a Scottish glen, and 
 she and her brother eagerly discussed its 
 
48 
 
 ^own the ^ivct t0 the ^m. 
 
 points of similarity and contrast with sev- 
 eral glens well known to tlieni at home. 
 
 Returning once more to tiie high-road 
 tliey continued their drive tn the slanting 
 afternoon light, with rich farms and 
 orchards on either side of them and lovely 
 glimpses of the river and the o[)posite 
 bank, till they found themselves among 
 the picturesque dingier, that lie round 
 Queenston Heights, ascending the noble 
 eminence, crowned by a stately shaft, which 
 had been for some time looining before 
 thciu in the distance. This height, Kate 
 declared, was a natural monument, mark- 
 ing the Thermopylie of Canada. But when 
 they came out at last on its brow, close to 
 the base of the shaft, they all exclaimed 
 w4th delight at the exquisite beauty of the 
 view that lay at their feet, Avhich for the 
 time made them forget that such things as 
 historical associations had any existence. 
 
 Just below them lay a fair, broad bay, into 
 which the narrow, precipitous gorge had 
 suddenly expanded ; while away to their 
 left they could trace, as on a map, the 
 windings of the now placid river, round 
 point after point, between banks that in 
 
^omx the Jlivcr to the ,§ca. 
 
 49 
 
 the nearer distance looked like escarpments 
 crowned with foUage, and, as they receded, 
 gradually fell away in height until tliey de- 
 scended almost, to the level of the great 
 Lake Ontario, which stretched — a blue, sea- 
 like expanse — to the horizon line. Across 
 the river, before them, the eye traveled over 
 miles on miles of woodland and fertile 
 farming country, dotted with villages and 
 homesteads ; the pretty little town of Lew- 
 iston, close to the river, just below. Im- 
 mediately beneath them the rugged heights 
 fell away abruptly to the river beach, and 
 they looked down on the picturesque little 
 village of Queenston, nestling among its 
 graceful weeping willows, while, from its 
 dock, a small ferry steamer was just leav- 
 ing the quiet river, on its way to the nearly 
 opposite dock at Lewiston. One or two 
 sailing vessels and skiffs added animation 
 to the charming foreground, and the whole 
 seemed an embodiment of tranquil beauty. 
 
 *• Who would ever dream," said Flora, 
 " that this was the same river we saw raging 
 away up there ? " though May, listening at- 
 tentively, could still hear the soft, distant 
 murmur of the " Thunder of Waters." 
 
50 
 
 §0wn the '^xvtt to the jia. 
 
 "War and Peace," said Hugh. "Cut are 
 we not going to ascend ilie monument?" 
 
 "Of course," said Kate, Avlien they had 
 all read the commemorative inscription, and 
 (hdy admired the graceful shaft, crowned 
 by the figure of General Wolfe, with one 
 hand resting on his sword and the other 
 extended as if to cheer on his men. They 
 climbed the winding stair within to the 
 sunnnit, from whence they could command 
 still more extensive and varied panorama 
 on all sides ot them. Kate eagerly pointed 
 out on the last headland at the mouth of 
 the river the little Canadian town of Niag- 
 ara, which, she informed her Scotch cous- 
 ins, was almost the oldest town in Ontario, 
 and had even enjoyed tlie dignity of being 
 its first constitutional capital. Close be- 
 side it they could trace just through an 
 opera glass the ramparts of old Fort 
 George, which had played an important 
 part in stormy days gone by. On the oppo- 
 site point rose the white walls of the 
 American Fort Niagara. Landward, Kate 
 pointed out the spires of St. Catherine's, 
 fourteen miles off, and the silver streak of 
 the Welland Canal, winding its devious 
 
§0\vn the ^ivcr to the ^c«. 
 
 51 
 
 way from Lako Erie to Port Dalhousie, on 
 Lake Ontario. And, "if tliey only liad a 
 jrood si)y-glass," slio added, "tliey conld 
 catcli a glimpse of Toronto, just across a 
 blue stretch of lake." 
 
 After feasting their eyes on the lovely 
 landscape, lighted by the warm afternoon 
 sun, they were not sorry to descend from 
 their lofty perch and sit down a while in a 
 shady spot on the verge of the height, lo-^k- 
 ing down over its dense foliage of oak and 
 mai)le, birch and sumach, to the blue-green 
 river that flowed beneath, half concealed by 
 the rocky ledges. And as they sat there 
 and Flora sketched, Kate described — helped 
 out by May — how, early in one October 
 morning of 1812, a line of boats filled with 
 American troops had stolen silently across 
 the stream, until the gallant " forlorn hope " 
 h[ul made a landing on the Canadian shore ; 
 and how the fire of the guns that greeted 
 their passage had roused (jeneral Wolfe at 
 Fort George, and brought liiui galloping up 
 at the head of his suite to take command of 
 the gallant little British and Canadian 
 force, of only about eight hundred men, all 
 told. But this little force had opposed the 
 
52 
 
 HouJtt the ^mt to the J^ea. 
 
 progress oi llio invaders every inch of 
 ground witli such desperiito viilor as 
 speedily to change tlie attack into a rout, 
 in which numbers of tlie br.ave American 
 soldiers, figliting galhmtly, even afti^r all 
 was lost, fell victims to the uncontiollable 
 ferocity of the Indians, determined to 
 avenge the death of the brave Woll'e, who 
 had fallen while fighting like one of liis own 
 men, and cheering on the "York ^'()lun- 
 teers." Many of the invaders \\\i() cscai)ed 
 the pursuing Indians were killed in trying 
 to descend the rocky height or drowned in 
 attempting to swim across the river. 
 
 "A well-fought fight it nuist have been," 
 exclaimed Hugh, " worthy to take its place 
 beside any of our historical battlefields. 
 Why d(m't we know more about these 
 affairs at home ? Then we might feel more 
 as if Canada were indeed a * Greater Brit- 
 ain ! ' And so these heights had their dead 
 hero, too, as well as the * Heights of Abra- 
 ham'?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed," said May ; " General.Iir.ock 
 was indeed a hero, just as much as Wolfe, 
 though he only helped to keep Canada, in- 
 stead of conquering it." 
 
§omi the ^ivtv to the jlea. 
 
 63 
 
 " But," said Kate, " to go back to ancient 
 ■ 'story, do you know that this ridge here is 
 said to have been once tlie shore of an 
 ocean, and, at a later time, the boundary of 
 the lake; and that here the Falls are sup- 
 posed to have made their first plunge. The 
 geologists have traced it all the way — its 
 gradually receding front all the way back 
 to where it is now." 
 
 "I'm sure I'm much obliged to them," 
 
 said Hugh, "but somehow these vast blank 
 
 periods of geological history don't touch 
 
 lehalf so much as a little bit of humnn in- 
 
 .•est. That batole you have been describ- 
 ing is far more interesting than a3ons of 
 conflict between water and shale." 
 
 " If it interests you so nmch," Kate re- 
 joined, " you can read more about it when 
 we get home, in a Canadian story I have, 
 called ' For King and Country,' which ends 
 with the battle of Queenston Heights." 
 
 And now Flora had finished her little 
 sketch, and Mrs. Sandford warned the linger- 
 ing party that the afternoon was waning 
 fast, in whicli undoubted fact they acqui- 
 esced with a general sigh of regret. They 
 descended by the steep winding road on the 
 
54 
 
 §0wn iU ^ivtv to the ^m 
 
 ''% 
 
 other side of the height, through thickets of 
 aromatic red cedar, down to the scattered 
 little village, embowered among its orchards 
 below, find drove some distance farther on 
 along the road in order that they might en- 
 joy, in returning, the charming view of the 
 Heights, approached from the Niagara side. 
 They followed, for a mile or two, the undu- 
 lating road which, after leaving the village 
 behind, was skirted with white villas, sur- 
 rounded by wide stretches of soft green 
 sward, flecked by the shadov/s of fine old 
 trees, looking like a bit of an English park ; 
 and then, turning at last, enjoyed the 
 charming view of the now distant bay, with 
 wooded point after point intervening, and 
 the bold eminence of Queenston Heights 
 always litly closing in the picturesque 
 vista. 
 
 They all thought the drive such an en- 
 chanting one that there was not a dissent- 
 ing voice when Kate proposed that, since 
 they were going to take the daily steamer to 
 Toronto from Niagara, on their onward 
 route, by far the j)leasantest plan would be 
 to i77Hife thither, when at last they must 
 leave the Falls. 
 
g$mx the Oliver to the ^eu. 
 
 5a 
 
 Leaving the Falls seemed a sad prospect 
 to all of them, but more especially so to 
 May, over whom the Falls had thrown such 
 a spell of fascination that she would have 
 liked nothing better than to stay there all 
 sununer, feasting eyes and ears on their 
 grandeur. But Hugh Macnab, who owned 
 to the same feeling, added the consoling re- 
 flection that " a thing of beauty is a joy for- 
 ever," and May felt convinced that the 
 memory of the Falls would indeed be "a 
 joy forever " to her as long as she lived. 
 
 They could only spare three days more to 
 Niagara, and as they sat that evening as 
 usual on the piazza, regretting the lateness 
 of the already waning moon, they agreed 
 that now, having taken a general survey of 
 the main points of view, they should not at- 
 tempt any plans for the remaining days, 
 but should spend them in those leisurely, 
 unpremeditated loiterings, which are always 
 the pleasantest way of absorbing all the 
 more subtile and indefinite influences of 
 noble scenery. 
 
 So the remaining days turned out to be, 
 perhaps, the most delightful of the sojourn, 
 spent in charming desultory strolls, as the 
 
66 
 
 gowtt iU Pvef to iht Jla. 
 
 fancy of the moment dictated, revisiting all 
 the points which had most impressed them, 
 taking in new beauties whicli they had not 
 observed before, while they talked or were 
 silent, as the mood suggested, and Flora 
 filled her sketch-book with pretty " bits," 
 and Hugh occasionally withdrew to a little 
 distance and scribbled i*i his note-book, and 
 Mrs. Sandford, sitting near while the others 
 discursively rambled, accomplished yards 
 on yards of her endless knitting. 
 
 Their last day was Sunday, when they 
 walked down to the pretty little church at 
 Clifton, and enjoyed the quiet service, and 
 sat most of the afternoon on the piazza, of 
 the view from whence they never tired. It 
 was a lovely sunset, and they walked as far 
 as Table Rock to have a last lingering look 
 at the superb view from there in the rich 
 evening glow. As they watched the two 
 magnificent Falls into which the stream 
 divides, to re-unite below, Kate told her 
 cousin Hugh of a beautiful simile which she 
 had seen in a new Canadian book called 
 "The New Empire," in which the author 
 suggests that though the stream of the 
 British race in America had divided like 
 
§m\x the '^ivtv to the ^m. 
 
 67 
 
 that sweeping river into two magnificent 
 sections, so, like it, they miglit re-unite in 
 the future citizensliii) of a world-wide 
 Britain. 
 
 " And then, perhaps, we shall go on to 
 our laureate's dream of the federation of 
 the world I It is at all events a pleasant 
 thought to finish this glorious visit with ; 
 and I suppose this is our farewell look?" 
 
 " I am afraid so," said Kate. " We shall 
 not have much time in the morning for loi- 
 tering. Let us be glad we have such a glor- 
 ious sight of i^ — for the last ! " 
 
 And they sat silently gazing, as if they 
 would fain have prolonged the sunset light. 
 But at length its last vestige had vanished, 
 and they slowly walked back to the hotel in 
 the starlight, while the grar I music of the 
 " Thunder of Waters " still filled their ears, 
 and sounded even through theii* ckeiims. 
 
goujtt i\xt ^ivtt to iUt ^a. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ON THE LAKE. 
 
 " Dreaming again, May ! Are you saying 
 a last fond good-bye to the Falls ? I'm 
 afraid you've left your heart up there," said 
 Mrs. Sandford, as she sniilhigly laid her hand 
 on the shoulder of her niece, who stood 
 alone at the stern of the steamboat, silently 
 gazing in the direction of the faint, distant 
 cloud of spray that rose, just traceable 
 against the clear blue sky, with a wistful 
 regret in her soft gray eyes — regret at part- 
 ing from that wonderful revelation of the 
 sublime which had so powerfully impressed 
 her imagination, and which, just at present, 
 overpowered even the happy anticipations 
 of the further revelations of beauty and 
 grandeur that still lay in the future progress 
 of this wonderful voyage down the glorious 
 river to the sea. 
 
 They had a delightful mornmg drive 
 
gowtt the '^ivtK U the ^ea. 
 
 59 
 
 through the long stretch of charming rural 
 scenery that lies between the Falls and 
 Niagara, studded with pretty bowery old 
 homesteads, long green lawns flecked with 
 the long shadows of spreading walnut and 
 tulip trees, and dark stately pines, through 
 which they could catch ghmpses of old- 
 fashioned, pillared piazzas, or of old gray 
 farm buildings, till at last they reached the 
 picturesque suburbs of the quiet little town 
 of " Niagara-on-the-Lake." As they drove 
 through the grove of fine oaks that skirts 
 the edge of the town, and admired the 
 pretty little church of St. Mark's, making 
 a charming picture in the foreground, Mrs. 
 Sandford, who in her youth had often so- 
 journed in the vicinity, pointed out the spot 
 where she remembered having seen the 
 "hollow beech-tree," — long since gone, — 
 commemorated by Moore in his poem of 
 " The Woodpecker," though, it must be 
 added, that this same beech-tree has been 
 also located in the neighborhood of Kings- 
 ton. IJeyond the oak grove lay a broad 
 green or " common " stretching away to the 
 wide blue lake, on which the Iroquois used 
 to hold an annual encampment to receive 
 
60 
 
 §m\x the ^ivtx to the ^tn. 
 
 their yearly gifts and allowances. To the 
 right of the road, just above the river, Mrs. 
 Sandford pointed out the grassy mound and 
 bit of massive masonry, which is all that is 
 left of old Fort George, with its eventful 
 history, and a little fui'ther on the tower of 
 Fort Massissaga, built after the final retreat 
 of the American troops in 1813, out of the 
 ruins of the original town, burned by the 
 American soldiers on a dreary December 
 day. No traces of these old conflicts can 
 now be seen, being long since smoothed over 
 by the gentle yet strong hand of time, and 
 a beneficent Nature. Just opposite them, 
 across the broad blue-green river, which has 
 now lost all traces of its turbulent passion, 
 and subsided into a most peaceful and easy- 
 going stream, they could see the white walls 
 of the American Fort Niagara, which had 
 exchanged so many rounds of cannonade 
 with its opposite neighbor. May, fresh 
 from reading l^arkman, was eager to fix the 
 exact spot where her special hero, LaSalle, 
 had built his ill-fated " Griffin," the first sail- 
 ing vessel that ever floated on these waters ; 
 but here her aunt could give her no infor- 
 mation. Her interest was entirely in later 
 
Jown the ^iver io the jlta. 
 
 61 
 
 history, and she pointed out the place where 
 (ilovenior Sinicoe had opened the first l*ar- 
 hament of Upper Canada and delivered liis 
 first speech, with all the usual formalities, 
 to an assembly of eight members and two 
 Legislative Councilors ; after which the 
 Governor, with his two Secretaries, de- 
 parted in due pomp attended by a guard of 
 honor of fifty soldiers from the old fort ; 
 and also, how, with less ceremonial, during 
 the warm summer days, the Governor and 
 his Council met on the green sward, under 
 the spreading trees, and arranged the affairs 
 of the Provinces, passing, among other use- 
 ful measures, the memorable one which put 
 an end forever to all possibilities of negro 
 slavery in the young colony, thereby saving 
 it from much future difiieulty and dishonor. 
 The mention of this last su])ject had 
 brought on a discussion of the history of 
 slavery in the American Hepublic, which 
 much interested Hugh IVIacnab, whose Celtic 
 sympathies had been rather with the South 
 in the great struggle, wiiile Kate was a 
 warm partisan of the North, and argued 
 their cause so well that her cousin had at 
 last to confess himself mistaken on severfi 
 
 i 
 
62 
 
 Down the Oliver to the Jiea. 
 
 important points. The argument lasted 
 until they found themselves on board the 
 Cibola, getthig up her steam to carry them 
 from Niagara and its glories. While Mrs. 
 Sandford had been dilating on the attrac- 
 tions of Niagara-on-the-Lake as a delight- 
 ful and quiet health resort, May, who had 
 been very quiet during the drive, had stolen 
 off to a quiet corner in the stern, where the 
 others found her at last, sitting very still 
 and trying to fix the glorious Falls in her 
 memory by calling up once again the picture 
 of them as she had seen them last. 
 
 "So this is Lake Ontario!" said Hugh 
 Macnab, looking around with keen enjoy- 
 ment. " How well I remember stumbling 
 over the name at school in my geography 
 lessons, and reading with awe that line of 
 Campbell's about the tiger roaming along 
 Ontario's shores ! " 
 
 " Oh, did he really say that?" said Kate. 
 " Who would have thought a great poet 
 would have made such a mistake in his 
 zoology ? " 
 
 "Oh, as for that," said Hugh, smiling, 
 "poets, especially when they are city-bred 
 — are very apt to make mistakes about 
 
 n5,.^I^ 
 
Dowtt the givcv to the ^ca. 
 
 68 
 
 natural facts. And Ituskiu had not written 
 then, you know. lint what a magnificent 
 lake!" he exclaimed a^^ain, iidialinj^; the 
 fresh, bracing l)reeze, and surveying with 
 delight the turquoise-blue expanse of water, 
 wliose horizon-line blended softly with a 
 pale azure sky, banked here and there by 
 delicate violet clouds which might have 
 passed for distant mountains. " Over there," 
 he added, "one could imagine it the ocean, 
 at least on one of the rare days when the 
 ocean sleeps at peace ! " 
 
 " It can be stormy enough, too," remarked 
 ]\Irs. Sandford, with a grimace, called forth 
 by some vivid remembrance of it in that 
 aspect. " I've been on it when even good 
 sailors at sea have had to give in. For, you 
 see, the short, chopping waves are more try- 
 ing than the big ocean rollers." 
 
 " And how long shall we be on it, after 
 leaving Toronto ? " asked Hugh, with some 
 anxiety, for he was by no means a good 
 sailor in such circumstances. 
 
 " Oh, you can have fourteen or fifteen 
 hours of it, if you wish," replied Kate, mis- 
 chievously, suspecting the reason for his 
 question. " But I've been planning a little 
 
64 
 
 §own the W^ivtt to the jleu. 
 
 variation that, because, of course, you see 
 notliing of the country in traveUng by lake, 
 and I want you to see some of our really 
 pretty places by the way ; and besides, the 
 Armstrongs, our Port Hope cousins, want 
 to have a glimpse of you, of course, and 
 would like us all to give them a day, at 
 least, 6)1 route. And my j)lan is, that we 
 ttake the lake steamer to Port Hope, which 
 we reach in a lovely hour, — just in the 
 gloaming, as Flora would say. We can all 
 stay with the Armstrongs, for they have a 
 good large house and some of the family are 
 away ; and we can have some very pretty 
 drives about Port Hope next day. And 
 then, the following morning, we can take the 
 train, and go by the " Grand Trunk " to a 
 pretty little town called Belleville, on a 
 charming bay called the Bay of Quinte, on 
 which we can have a lovely sail down to 
 Kingston. That will be better than spend- 
 ing the night on the lake — seeing nothing of 
 the scenery and having to turn out of our 
 berths at the unearthly hour of four o'clock 
 in the morning, which is about the time the 
 steamboat from Torouto arrives at that good 
 old city." 
 
|lou*n the llivcv U the ^ca. 
 
 G5 
 
 " That's Ji sploiidid plan, Cousin Kate," 
 exclainuHl boUi ]Iu;^"h and Flora at once. 
 " What a schemer you are, to be sure," con- 
 tinued Hugh. '' I don't know how we should 
 ever get on without you." 
 
 ]\Iay had ])een sitting by, silently watch- 
 ing the little group, as she had I'ather a way 
 of doing ; Kate's bright face, Hugh's more 
 reserved and sensitive one, — yet seeming so 
 much more animated and healthful than 
 when she liad lirst met him, oidy a few days 
 ago, — and Flora's sweet, rosy, good-humored 
 countenance, — they made a pleasant picture. 
 IIow nuich better Hugh seemed already, and 
 how nmch he seemed to depend on Kate! 
 ]\[ay was much addicted to weaving little ro- 
 mances for the people about her, — often on 
 very slender foundation, — and she had 
 already ])egun to weave one for her cousin. 
 How well they would sui)plement each other, 
 she thought, — Kate's quick, ])ractical sense 
 and Hugh's more contemplative tendencies. 
 From which it will be seen that JNIay was 
 somewhat given to theories, as well as to 
 modern fiction. 
 
 IMeantinie, they had been swiftly steaming 
 
 across the azure surface of the lake, and, 
 5 
 
66 
 
 §0Wti the Slvcr ta the ^ca. 
 
 even by stniiiiing lier 
 
 eyes, 
 
 May could 
 
 barely discern the faint cIoikI of mist that 
 represented so much to her inward eye. In- 
 deed they had idl begun to look onward for 
 Toronto, and could dimly trace the long 
 succession of buildings and spires that had 
 begun to separate itself from the l)lue line 
 of distant shore towards which they were 
 approaching. 
 
 " We shall be there very soon now," said 
 Mrs. Sandford, rising to (collect her numer- 
 ous satchels, wraps, etc., long before there 
 was any occasion for it. It was a sort of 
 occupation, and she had relinquished, for 
 the time, the sedative of her knitting. 
 While she was thus busied, Kate pointed 
 out, as they drew nearer, the principal land- 
 marks, and tlie strangers were surprised to 
 find so extensive and imposing a city. 
 
 " That low bar of land, there," she said, 
 somewhat sliglitingly, "is what they call 
 their Island, though it really is only a sand- 
 bar cut through. I suppose it's better than 
 nothing, for at least they get the fresh lake 
 breezes ; but no one who has seen our beau- 
 tiful 'Thousand Islands' in the St. Law- 
 rence could be content with that for an 
 
§mn the '^ivtt io the jlea. 
 
 67 
 
 b 
 
 islcind. But it is the Coney Island, the 
 Njintasket Beach, the Saratoga, of To- 
 ronto ! " 
 
 " Toronto is an Indian name, I suppose," 
 said Hugh. " Do you know wliat it means ? " 
 
 " I do," said May, when Kjite had con- 
 fessed her ignorance. " At least I have 
 read somewhere that it means ' The Place 
 of Electing,' from having been the point 
 where the roving bands of Indians and the 
 French traders used to meet in the old 
 French time. At flrst it was only a little 
 stockaded fort, called Fort Kouilly, after a 
 French Colonial IVIinister, I think, and there 
 the traders and Indians used to make their 
 bargains." 
 
 " And after that," said Mrs. Sandford, " it 
 was never known at all until Governor Sim- 
 coe made it the first capital, instead of 
 Niagara, which was too near the frontier, 
 and called it York, after the then Duke of 
 Yorl-' " 
 
 A^hat a pity ! " exclaimed Hugh. "But 
 
 L . went back to the Indian name, after all ! " 
 
 V es," replied Mrs. Sandford, "they got 
 
 tired of hearing it called ' muddy little 
 
 York,' and hanged back to Toronto about 
 
68 
 
 §mti the Slvet U the ^m* 
 
 fifty years ago; and Toronto it has re- 
 mained ever since. My fatli 'r has often 
 told me about the first Parliament buildings 
 here, and the Vice-Regal residence, which 
 the K^uecn City' would not think good 
 enough now for a school building. At the 
 time when it was made the capital, the 
 woods clothed the shore down to the water's 
 edge, and there were only two wigwams 
 here, in which lived two families of Missis- 
 sauga Indians, from whom the whole site of 
 the city is said to have been bought for 
 ten shillings sterling^ with some beads, 
 blankets, and, I'm afraid, a little fire-water 
 thrown in." 
 
 " Well," said Hugh, " everything is rela- 
 tive; I suppose that represented a small 
 fortune to them, and it has taken a good 
 w^hile to get the 'unearned incrment' up to 
 its present value." 
 
 *' I don't understand your new-fangled 
 terms," said Mrs. Sandford. " There weren't 
 any of them in my day. Now, make haste 
 and get your traj)s together, for we'll be at 
 the dock in two minutes. Look for the 
 Arlington carriage, Hugh, that's where 
 we're going ; I think you will find it there/' 
 
§0wu the ^Ixva to the ^ea. 
 
 69 
 
 And in a few minutes tliey were all 
 Btowed into the carriage, and driven rapidly 
 away from the noisy dock to the quiet 
 family hotel on. King Street, which seemed 
 an inviting resting place in the very warm 
 afternoon. They felt the heat all the more 
 after the cool lake breeze they had been en- 
 joying ; and they were all tired enough with 
 their early start to enjoy a siesta before 
 their luncheon, which was also much appre- 
 ciated in its turn. The afternoon was to be 
 devoted to seeing Toronto, and a large 
 double hack was soon at the door, in which 
 the whole party ensconced themselves for a 
 leisurely drive about the busy and beautiful 
 city. Kate, as usual, directed the route, 
 and Hugh sat on the bor beside the driver, 
 where he could bear all the information 
 given behind, as well as secure some more 
 on his own account from the communicative 
 charioteer. 
 
 Tliey drove first eastward, along the fine 
 stretch of King Street, admiring on their 
 way the pretty, shady grounds of Govern- 
 ment House, and tlie massive Norman archi- 
 tecture of St. Andrew's Church opposite, in 
 which Hugh, as a Scotchman, took a special 
 
70 
 
 §0mx the W^xxtt t0 the ^m* 
 
 interest. Passing on, along the favorite re- 
 sort of Toronto promenaders, they admired 
 the stately rows of buildings, thougli llugli 
 and Flora protested against the monotonous 
 white brick, so new to their English eyes. 
 They turned up the busy thoroughfare of 
 Yonge Street, and, after a few blocks, left 
 the region of shops and turned aside into 
 the cool shadiness of Jarvis and Sherbourne 
 Streets, with their handsome residences, 
 surrounded by well-kept grounds; and so 
 up to the rural quiet of Bloor Street. They 
 crossed the fine bridge over the ravine at 
 Rosedale, and admired the picturesque bits 
 of scenery lying about that romantic spot. 
 Then, after following liloor Street into the 
 new section of the city that has grown up so 
 rapidly about Spadina Avenue, they turned 
 into the beautiful "Queen's Park," and 
 drove through its shady precincts, the Scot- 
 tish strangers surveying with great interest 
 the new academic buildings that are spring- 
 ing up about the University as a center. 
 At the University, of course, they halted 
 for a closer inspection of the beautiful build- 
 ing, which, as Kate remarked, had just 
 risen, Phcenix-like, from the conflagration 
 
§mn the '^xvtv to the $a. 
 
 71 
 
 that had, a short time ago, left it a mass of 
 magnificent ruins. 
 
 " You see they are building the library 
 quite separate, over there, now," Kate saicF, 
 pointing to where the graceful library 
 building was beginning to show its beauty 
 of design. "It is really wonderful," she 
 added, " how generous people everywhere 
 have been in restoring the loss of the 
 books." 
 
 ^t Yes," replied Hugh. " And I have no 
 doubt the University will be the gainer in 
 the end, as the t7'ash will have been all dis- 
 posed of, and the scientific books will be all 
 new and up to date. But I can imagine 
 what a catastrophe it must have been at the 
 time. It made quite a sensation, even 
 among us students in Edinburgh. Though, 
 apart from the associations, I'm afraid some 
 of us wouldn't have been sorry to have had 
 our old building and old books renewed in 
 the same way ! It's too bad for a Scotch 
 university to be eclipsed, architecturally, by 
 a Canadian one ! " 
 
 " Ah, well, you see, we had the improved 
 taste of this age to guide us," remarked 
 I^te. 
 
72 
 
 gowtt the %ivtx to the ^m. 
 
 " And the taste of a Scotchman, at that, 
 if I am not mistaken," added Hugh. 
 
 " Oh, yes, we must grant you the credit of 
 Sir Daniel Wilson and his Edinburgh 
 training. But look at this fine gateway. 
 Fortunately it was not injured by the lire, 
 and is just as it was. I think it's the finest 
 bit of the building." 
 
 Hugh admired it all so enthusiastically 
 that May, who had of course seen very little 
 of fine architecture, was glad to have her 
 own admiration endorsed by one who had 
 seen so much more. And, happily, they en- 
 countered a stray professor, well known to 
 Mrs. Sandford, who insisted on looking up 
 the janitor, and personally conducting them 
 through the interior of the building, wljich 
 the tourists were very anxious to see, and 
 which Hugh inspected with the critical eye 
 of a student, approving of the various im- 
 provements everywhere introduced, and 
 only regretting the lost glories of the Con- 
 vocation Ilall, on which the professor re- 
 gretfully descanted. 
 
 "But we must wait for some Canadian 
 millionaire to give us a Canadian Christ's 
 Churcli," he said, smiling. 
 
§0ivtt ttte %\vtt U iixt $m. 
 
 78 
 
 "Indeed, I think it is wonderful, as it is^ 
 for a new country," said Ilugli, as they ex- 
 changed a cordial adieu, Hugh promising in 
 return to show him Edinhurgh University 
 if he would loolc him up over there. 
 
 From the University they drove down the 
 fine shady avenue, to show the strangers, a 
 little way from the University, on a little 
 knoll in its picturesque grounds, a monu- 
 ment to the young volunteers who fell at 
 Kidgeway. Hugh and Plora had already 
 heard the story of the Fenian eineute that 
 caused so much temporary excitement, and 
 tliey looked with respectful sympathy at 
 the monument so justly raised to these gal- 
 lant young men, as true patriots as if tlie 
 licld on which they fell had been one of the 
 historic battle-grounds of the world. The 
 monument to George r»rown also claimed 
 ihc'r attention for a few moments, and 1 f ugh 
 triumphantly declaied to Kate, that, so far 
 as he C(mld see, all the great leaders of 
 Canada Jiad been his fellow-countrymen. 
 
 Then they continued their drive down the 
 fine avenue, past the School of Technology, 
 and the great, new Parliament buildings, 
 fast rising to completion, and down the 
 
74 gowtt i\\t %X'mv U the $ti\. 
 
 alley of chestmils on to wliicli, under the 
 spreading liors(vcliestnnts, leads down 
 Qneen Street, Avliere they duly admired the 
 ehissie stateliness of Osgoode Hall, — the law 
 eenter of Ontario. Then they returned to 
 King Street onee more, and followed its 
 eoarse westward for some miles, to see the 
 former site of the Old Fort near the Exhi- 
 bition building's, and the various great in- 
 stitutions of Toronto along its line. The 
 old red briek building of Upper Canada 
 College, — one of the oldest grannnar scl. ^^Is 
 in Canada : the handsome front of Trinu> 
 College, farther on, in its beautiful park, 
 the grounds and buildings of which Hugh 
 would fain have stopped to explore ; the 
 great gloomy-looking, high-walled inelosure 
 of the Lunatic Asylum, with its saddening 
 associations; and then, still sadder sight, 
 the grim Central J^rison and the Mercer 
 Keformatory for women. A somewhat 
 more cheerful object of contemplation was 
 the large pile of buildings that form the 
 beautiful Home for Incurables, which Kate 
 declared was quite an ideal institution, at 
 least so far as its plan and appointments were 
 concerned. " But it is a rather melancholy 
 
gowtt the '^ivcv to the ^cix. 
 
 76 
 
 
 3 
 
 e 
 
 place too," she adiuittcd, "tlioug-li, if people 
 are incurable, it \f^ nice to know that they 
 will be comfortably provided for ! " 
 
 " I don't believe much in institutions," 
 said Flora, m lier soft voice and pretty 
 Scotch accent ; " I would rat' er have one of 
 the plainest little loonis, in a wee, real 
 home, than the most luxurious one in these 
 great institutions!" and May warmly en- 
 dorsed the sentiment. 
 
 " Still, if people can't have even that," 
 said Ilugii, "it's well there (n-c instituticms. 
 I nmst say myself, that T don't care nnich 
 for doing things by wholesale, so T for one 
 could never be a socialist. Things wei'o 
 better planned originally. 'He setteth the 
 solitary in families.'" 
 
 "That was long ago, my dear boy," re- 
 inai'ked ]\Irs. Sandford. "It's getting to be 
 an old world, and a cold world, too, I fear." 
 
 "Oh, I hope not, Aunt Bella. The old 
 order faileth, giving place to new, only the 
 new hasn't got well worked out yet." 
 
 On their way back they took a look at 
 the Old Fort ]>arracks, and at the site of 
 the old French Fort, near which the exhi- 
 bition buildings, or " Fair grounds," yearly 
 
76 
 
 §0wn the ^xvtx to the J*e». 
 
 '4 
 
 present such a striking contrast to what 
 must have })een the silence and loneUness 
 of the spot wiicn it first became a British 
 settlement. And the cool lake breeze was 
 most refreshing after the heat of the July 
 day, and sent them back to the hotel, rein- 
 forced for dinner, after which they were 
 not disposed to do more than sit quietly on 
 one of tlie balconies of the hotel, Mrs. Sand- 
 ford knitting with great satisfaction, and 
 the others amusing themselves with observ- 
 ing the ever-varying line of pedestrians 
 constantly passing to and fro on their way 
 from places of evening entertainment. 
 
 Next mornhig all the junior members of 
 the party started for a ramble on foot, 
 going first along King Street and looking in 
 a more leisurely fashion at the vjirious 
 handsome public buildings, the banks, the 
 great newspaper offices, a little off King 
 Street, the fine post-office on Adelaide 
 Street, the attractive picture and book- 
 stores, and then turning up Church Street, 
 pursued their way to the Normal School 
 buildings, where Kate exhibited to her com- 
 panions with some pride, the various educa- 
 tional appliances of that center of the pub- 
 
JottJtt the llivct to the ^c». 
 
 77 
 
 lie school education of the province, the 
 liandsonie, and even luxurious lecturc- 
 I'ooins, class-rooms, library, ai:d last, l)ut 
 not least, the spacious and delightful 
 Kindergarten, a paradise of infantine edu- 
 cation, which was Kate's especial delight, 
 and which to Hugh and Flora was a 
 charming novelty in "school-keeping." 
 After that they continued their walk in a 
 desultory fashion along the shady streets 
 of that quarter of the city, admiring the 
 handsome churches and villa-like resi- 
 dences which there abound. Then they 
 crossed the I^ark to take one more look at 
 the beautiful University l)uildings, and 
 came back to the Arlington by the way 
 of St. George Street with its fine resi- 
 dences, and Spadina Avenue, just in time 
 for an early liuicheon before prepiiring for 
 their departure by the good steamer Cor- 
 siaoi. 
 
 The early afternoon found them all on 
 the deck of the steamer, gliding swiftly 
 out of Toronto Bay, leaving in the distance 
 tlic long mass of fine buildings that ex- 
 tends along Front Street and gives the 
 stranger some idea of the wealth and 
 
78 
 
 goivu the Jlivcr to the <#cu. 
 
 Imsiness of Toronto; piisb the long sand- 
 bar, which at once protects Toronto Har- 
 bor and serves as a "health resort" and 
 
 (( 
 
 j» 
 
 mucfjiature " for so many Torontonians. 
 Very soon, as the steamer i)l(mglied her 
 way througli the l)lue lake, calm as a mill- 
 pond, Toronto had become invisible, and the 
 high land of Scarboro' Heights rose to the 
 left, while to the right the blue horizon line 
 again reminded the travelers of the sea. 
 Presently, there arose the fresh, bracing 
 afternoon breeze, most grateful to the 
 strangers especially, who had felt the heat 
 at Toronto rather oppressive. It was a de- 
 licious afternoon, and as the sparkling and 
 quivering golden pathway tlirown on the 
 waters by the westering sun showed them 
 that it was passing away all too soon, 
 Hugh declared that if he lived in Canada 
 he should want to spend most of the sum- 
 mer on a yacht on such halcyon waters. 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Sandford, " yachting is 
 very well in summer weather, when it is 
 calm like this, but it's dangerous at best 
 on these great lakes where sudden squalls 
 are apt to rise at any moment. Don't you 
 remember, Kate ^^ 
 
5ouu the stiver fof the ^tix. 
 
 79 
 
 "Oh, yes, Auntie," Ivjite interposed, hur- 
 riedly, "don't talk about it now. It's too 
 sad. Ikit, IIuj^li, how would you like to 
 ' paddle your own canoe ' all the way down 
 from Toronto to the foot of the lake, as 
 tlu!y used to do in the hrave days of 
 old?" 
 
 " I shouldn't fancy any one would try 
 such an experiment in these days of rax)id 
 locomotion," said Flora. 
 
 " Indeed, some people would^ and think 
 it grejit fun," replied Kate. " A friend of 
 ours, with his wife and little girl, paddled 
 down the whole way to the St. liawrence 
 one summer, just for the pleasure of it. 
 And his wife — just as the s(piaws used to 
 do — helped him with the paddling." 
 
 " And how long did it take them ? " asked 
 Hugh. 
 
 "About ten or eleven days. And they 
 kept a log, or at least a diary of each day's 
 events, for future edification. Of course, 
 they stopped over night at some place 
 where they could sleep comfortably and 
 have a good breakfast to start with." 
 
 " Oh, I should think that might be very 
 pleasant. But, in ' the brave days of old,' 
 
80 
 
 Joan the |livct ta the J*ea. 
 
 thoy hiul not any of theso conveniences, and 
 I snppose they did not tal<e it so leisurely." 
 
 " I*()()i' LaSalle had niany a hard paddle 
 U[) and down tiie lakes in all sorts of 
 weather," said May. "Jt makes one shud- 
 der to thiidt of some of ids voyages, and 
 with so many har(lshi[)s, too!" 
 
 « Well," siud Hunh, « I think I prefer the 
 more expeditious way, where there's no 
 particular scenery to tempt one." 
 
 " Oh, of course, there isn't much of what 
 y(Mi would call scenery along this coast," 
 said Kate. " Nothing like what there is 
 along Lake Superior or Lake Huron. But 
 still, if you were to keep close along shore, 
 there are many pretty little ' bits ' to enjoy; 
 and just think what a delicious lotus-eathig 
 life it would be." 
 
 "Except for the paddler," interposed 
 Hugh. 
 
 "Oh, indeed, you don't know how the 
 paddlers get to love it ! There seems a 
 sort of fascination about it, and it gets to 
 be a passion with them. There is much 
 more interest and variety about it than 
 about rowing. Do you know, there's a 
 great American Canoe Association to which 
 
§om% the Jlivcr to the ,^fa. 
 
 81 
 
 lUiiiiy Canadians belong, which has its 
 'lut'cts' every summer, at some pleasant 
 spot, with good boating. Tliey have all 
 sorts of exercises, races, canoe-gynniastics, 
 prize contests, and a splendid time gener- 
 iilly. And ladies belong to it as well as 
 men. This year it is to be held at one of 
 the ' Thousand Islands ; ' and, by the way, 
 I shouldn't wonder if you might have a 
 pjlitnpse of it. You know we are all invited 
 to spend a few days at the summer cottage 
 of a friend there, with whom I have often 
 stayed, and it isn't very far from where 
 tliey have the Canoe Camp ; so we may just 
 mimnge to have a look at it." 
 
 " That would be charming! I should like 
 that," exclaimed Hugh and Flora both to- 
 gether ; while May began to think that too 
 many delights were clustering about this 
 wonderful expedition, and that she should 
 suddenly awake to And it all a dream ; and 
 Cinderella at home again, .'imid her dusters 
 and lier stocking-mending — as if there were 
 no Niagara and no " Thousand Islands " in 
 the world. 
 
 Meantime, they were ploughing their way 
 
 through the gleaming blue and gold waves, 
 6 
 
82 
 
 §om\ the giver U the Jfea. 
 
 with water and sky meeting at the horizon 
 Hne, all around them, save for a hlue strip 
 of shore to their left, while the steering was 
 done by compass, a new experience for the 
 strangers, on an inland lake. 
 
 " 1 don't wonder," Hugh remarked, "now 
 that I've seen this lake for mystilf, I don't 
 wonder that the iJritish Foreign Office, long 
 ago, rhould have sent out water-casks for 
 the frigates here, as you were telling me. 
 It is hard to realiz', that this great blue ex- 
 panse is really /rt'.s7< water." And May felt 
 delight(Ml that she now could the better 
 picture to herself what the .sc(/, was actually 
 like. 
 
 Ikit the soft shadows of evening were 
 falling on the woods and hills before them, 
 as the steamer glided into the beautiful har- 
 bor of Port Hope — a noted harbor even in 
 the old Indian times, under the name of 
 (4anevaske. The plaoid water, afire with 
 rich sunset tints, and smootli as a mirror, 
 was dotted with the skiffs of pleasure seek- 
 ers, and the pretty little town looked most 
 attractive, as, half in shadow, it nestled in its 
 picturesque valley and straggled up the 
 sides of its protecting hills. The long rail- 
 
Sown the Itivct to the ^eju 
 
 83 
 
 t}f 
 
 way viiuluct seemed to lend it an additional 
 cliiirni, and Flora JVIeXal) appealed to iier 
 l)rother whetlier it were not more like one 
 of their old-country towns, than any they 
 hud yet seen. On the pier were a number 
 of strollers, who had come out to catch the 
 evening breeze, or to see the arrival of the 
 daily boat ; and, among them, Kate's (juick 
 eye easily recognized Nellie Armsti'ong and 
 her brother, who gave them all a warm wel- 
 come, and speedily packed them into a dog- 
 cart and a light-covered carriage, in which 
 they were driven through the shady, sloping 
 streets to the pretty bowery home of the 
 Armstrongs, where another kind welcome 
 awaited them from the host and hostess, 
 and where an inviting supper was laid out 
 in a cool, pleasant dining-room, opening on 
 a velvety lawn overshadowed by a great 
 " bass-wood " or linden tree. To May it all 
 seemed like a delightful romance, nor tlid 
 she mind a bit the soft rain, which, during 
 ^he night, she heard through her dreams, 
 pattering on the great leafy bough with 
 that peculiarly tranquilizing effect which a 
 soft summer rain has on the sleepy listener 
 at night. 
 
84 
 
 gottJtt the ^ivcv to the ^ea» 
 
 The inorning was wet and misty, but 
 their host dechired the hitter to be a good 
 sign. And so it pi'oved, for by the time the 
 carriages, ordered for a long drive, were at 
 the door, the mists were rolling gently np 
 the sides of the hills, givhig to the charm- 
 ing landscape just the touch of poetry that 
 could best enhance its charm. It was a de- 
 lightful drive, taking in most of the hills 
 around the town, and the line view from 
 the one called " Fort Orton " was particu- 
 larly enjoyed by the travelers. 
 
 "It's very like a i)retly English or Scotch 
 view, said Flora. "Not what one is apt to 
 imagine Canauuui scenery." 
 
 " Well, you see, this is one of the oldest 
 settled parts of Canad.i," said Mr. Arm- 
 strong. "The whole vicinity is associated 
 with the early I'^rench Missions to the In- 
 dians, and with some of the early French 
 and Indian wars. There was an old Sulpi- 
 cian Mission at the Indian village on the 
 very site of Port Hope — a mission whose 
 director was the Abbe Fcnelon, the first ex- 
 plorer of this lake shore, and no other than 
 a brother of the celebrated Fenelon, who 
 was tht distinguished Archbishop of Cam- 
 
gown the giver to the ^tix. 
 
 85 
 
 bray, and instructor of the Dauphin of 
 France." 
 
 "And who wrote 'Telcmaque?'" said. 
 Kate. 
 
 "Precisely. And while he was writing 
 it for his royal pupil, his brother, devoted to 
 the spiritual good of the poor ignorant In- 
 dians, was trying to teach the Catechism 
 and the Lord's Prayer to the little Indian 
 chliw:::. and enduring among the lierce 
 Sei-"i t^ hardships far greater than those 
 through which his brother* was leading 
 Teleiiiaque. He was a ^/eal hero, that Abbe 
 Foiielon." 
 
 " I must read up those old French Mis- 
 sions," said Hugh. " They seem to be won- 
 derfully rich in heroic deeds." 
 
 " They are, indeed," said Mr. Armstrong, 
 'but I wish you had time to go l)ack to the 
 neighborhood of Uice Lake and Peterboro', 
 with its lovely little lakes. By the way, 
 there is a pretty waterfall thereabout, 
 named after this Abl)e Fenelon, and the 
 whole country is full of associations, not 
 only with those old French explorers and 
 missionaries, but also with the almo^'t 
 equally gallant tight of the old IJ. E. 
 
86 
 
 §Ofwn iU %\vtv io the ^«a. 
 
 Loyalist settlers, with hardsliips and pri- 
 vation." 
 
 " And what is a ' U. E. Loyalist?' " asked 
 Hugh. "I've seen the expression before, 
 but iiave no idea what it means." 
 
 "We should not expect you to under- 
 stand our Canadian terms, without explana- 
 tion," said Mr. Armstrong, laughingly. 
 " Well, a IT. E. Loyalist means one of those 
 first settlers of Canada who w^ere driven to 
 take refuge here at the time of the Ameri- 
 can revolution, because they would not give 
 up their allegiance to the British Empire, 
 and so they left their farms and possessions 
 behind, and came to settle in the wilder- 
 ness under the ' old flag.' 
 
 "Oh, T see," said Hugh, "i have heard 
 that many did so, but did not know 
 that they were called by that particular 
 name." 
 
 " Well, they gave good ] )roof of their loy- 
 alty, ' said Mrs. Sandford; "for many of 
 them had ^.retty hard limes. JMrs. Moodie's 
 experiences Avhich she records in lier book, 
 'Houghing it in the IJush,' were endured 
 in this section of the country. I nuist try 
 to get the bo(jk for you to read. You know 
 
 til 
 or 
 
gown the lliicv ta tUc ^m* 
 
 87 
 
 she was a sister of JNIiss Agnes Strickland, 
 and she and her sister, Mrs. Traill, may be 
 called our pioneer authoresses, though we 
 can hardly call tlieni Canadians." 
 
 " Yes, and this is a neighborhood full of 
 Indian legend, too," said Mr. Armstrong ; 
 "we have a village called Hiawatha, not 
 many nnles from here, and a ' Minnehaha,' 
 ' laughing water,' in the same neighbor- 
 liood; and not far from either dwelt the 
 magician Megissogwon, who, 'guarded by 
 the Ijlack pitch- water, sends fever from the 
 marshes,' as, indeed, many a pale-face vic- 
 tim of fever and ague has known to his 
 cost. And old Indian battlefields have been 
 discovered hereabout, besides the connec- 
 tion of this point with warlike expeditions 
 between white men in later times." 
 
 "And so we can never get away from 
 'old unhappy things and battles long ago,' 
 said Hugh, moralizingly. 
 
 " Well, let us give them the go-by, just 
 now," said Kate and Flora together. " On 
 such a lovely evening, we don't want to 
 think of battles and unhappy things, — old 
 or new." 
 
 "Only, somehow, they seem to add the 
 
88 
 
 §0\xi\ i\xt '^xvtv io the ^ea. 
 
 touch of human interest, even if it be a sad 
 one," rejohiecl Hugh, who was so much in- 
 terested in all he could learn of the past 
 history of the country that Kate laughingly 
 chaffed him about the book or magazine arti- 
 cle he must be going to write when he got 
 home. However, the chaffing had no effect 
 on his thirst for knowledge, and when they 
 returned in the lovely sunnner twiliglit, — 
 more than ready for the substantial repast 
 which awaited them, notwithstanding the; 
 luncheon they had enjoyed on the way, — 
 Hugh eagerly set to work thereafter, to de- 
 vour, in addition, all the scraps of informa- 
 tion which Mr. Armstrong hunted up for 
 him among the historical works in his 
 library. But his attention was som(3what 
 distracted by the songs which Nellie and 
 Flora anil May were sniging, sometimes in 
 concert, sometimes separately, at the piano 
 in the adjoining drawing-room. Plora de- 
 lighted them all with the sweetness and 
 pathos with which she sang some of the 
 " Songs from the North," which the others 
 had not previously heard. They gave her 
 an enthusiastic encore for the spirited s.>ng 
 " Over the Hills to Skye," and at last, after 
 
goivu the ^xvtt ta the ^a. 
 
 89 
 
 hearing it two or three times, they all joined 
 in tlie chorus. 
 
 " Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, 
 Onward ! tlu^HailorHcry, 
 And carry the lad who was born to 1)0 King, 
 Over the hills to Hkye." 
 
 And they were almost as much fascinated 
 by the chorus of the otluu', "The lionnie, 
 lionnie iianks of Loch-I.omond," and sang* 
 again and agsiin the mournful refrain : — 
 
 "Oh, ye'U tak'the high road, an' I'll tak' the low 
 road, 
 " An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye ; 
 But I'll never, never see my true love again 
 
 On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch- 
 Lomond ! " 
 
 (( 
 
 You see, you can't get away from the 
 'old unliuppy things,'" said Hugh, at last 
 leaving his hooks and coming to join the 
 group at the piano. " It's always the same 
 two mhior chords we have in every })athetic 
 song or story — love and war — in some 
 form ! " 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Armstrong, " see how the 
 American war struck into life the latent 
 
90 
 
 Joan the %X'\\:x\' to the ^ciu 
 
 possibilities of pathos jukI poetry in the 
 practical Aiuerican peo})le." 
 
 " Oil, by the way, Kate," said Nellie, 
 "don't you remember that ]Mr. Wiuthrop 
 we met at Old Orchard last summer, with 
 whom you used to have so many arguments 
 about the North and South, and all the 
 rest of itV 1 think he made a convert of 
 you." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Kate ; " but what of 
 him ? " 
 
 "Oh, he called here two or three weeks 
 ago in the course of a tour he was making, 
 and he asked most particularly for you. I 
 really believe he was going to look you up; 
 and you were away from home. What a 
 pity ! " 
 
 "Indeed, I think it very unlikely that he 
 would do anything of the kind. It would 
 be quite out of his way," said Kate, nonchal- 
 antly. 
 
 " Well, I do think he meant to do so," re- 
 turned Nellie. " He made most particular 
 inquiries about just how to get there." 
 
 "I shall certainly be very much sur- 
 prised to hear that he took any such trouble. 
 Was he as argumentative as ever ? " 
 
 I 
 
Ijawn the Jftitcr to the ^ca. 
 
 91 
 
 e 
 
 Ll 
 
 »_ 
 
 r 
 
 3. 
 
 "No, for most of his time here was spent 
 in niiikin;^ tlie iiuiuiries 1 referred to!" re- 
 torted Nellie, rather misehievously. " I 
 only wonder you liave not stumbled across 
 him in tlie course of your travels." 
 
 Ilngh had looked up with ii sudden air of 
 interest. " I noticed tlr name of Winthrop 
 in the register of iheCli/fo/t, only a few days 
 before we arrived." 
 
 "Then we just missed him," said Kate, 
 in an indifferent tone, thougli with a some- 
 what heightened color. You would have 
 enjoyed meeting him, Hugh. He would 
 have given you the American side of every- 
 thing at first hand. What I have given you 
 is only a very faint echo." 
 
 " But haven't you any Canadian songs to 
 give me?" asked Hugh, as the girls were 
 about leaving the piano. 
 
 " There's the old ^ Canadian Boat-song,' " 
 said Nellie, doubtfully. 
 
 " No, no," said Kate, " that's all very well 
 for singing on the river. We'll have it 
 there^ by and by. Give Hugh something that 
 has more of a native flavor a])out it. Sing 
 him one or two of those P'rench Canadian 
 songs you used to be so fond of — ' La Claire 
 
92 
 
 Ijaujtt the ^ivev tu the jleu. 
 
 Fontaine^ you know, or * En Roulant Ma 
 Boide: " 
 
 " 15iit tliey are so silly," objected Nellie. 
 
 " Dear me ! who expects songs to be sen- 
 sible nowadays, especially songs of that 
 sorty And Iliigli can enjoy a little non- 
 sense to a pretty air, as well as anybody, 
 I'm quite sure. Ilemember how nnich Mr. 
 Winthrop used to like them," said Mrs. 
 Sandford. 
 
 " Well, I'll sing tliem," said Nellie; "only, 
 as the air is so simple, you nuist all of you 
 join in the chorus, after the first time. You 
 can easily catch it up." 
 
 And she proceeded to sing, with much 
 spirit and expression, two or three of the 
 lively French-Canadian airs, which have 
 come down from the old times of voya- 
 gevrs and trappers — and tliC whole party 
 caught the fascination and were soon sing- 
 ing, all together, the rollicking chorus of : — 
 
 ^^ En roulant ma boule roulant, — en roulant ma 
 houle,^^ 
 
 and the prettier, half-playful, half-serious 
 love ditty, the refrain to " Xa Claire Fon- 
 table ": 
 
§o\\:\x the ^\va to the *ca. 
 
 98 
 
 ** II tfa loiiijlonpH quvjc Vaime, 
 Jamais je nc V ouhlicrai,^^ 
 
 till every one was vsurprised to find that it 
 was eleven o'clock, and time for the travel- 
 ers to seek their rest in preparation for an 
 early start. 
 
 It was with great regret that the good- 
 byes were said next morning, and the little 
 party separated at the Grand Trunk sta- 
 tion. May thought she could see very well 
 that Jack Armstrong had fallen a victim to 
 the fresh, rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed Flora, 
 and, accordingly, was not surprised when 
 something was said about a possibility that 
 he and Nellie might meet them at (Quebec, 
 by and by, and go with them down the 
 Saguenay. 
 
 " At all events we will live in 7/o/>e," said 
 Jack, who was too fond of puns. " You 
 know this is a hopeful atmosphere." 
 
 And so they were off from old GancrasM, 
 as this Port of Good IIopcAvas first called, 
 and on the road once more. 
 
 The next stage was not very long, how- 
 ever. At Cobourg tliey utilized the " twenty 
 minutes for refreshments " by driving rap- 
 

 
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 idly about the principal streets of this old 
 town, commemorating in its name the mar- 
 riage of the young Queen with the good 
 Albert of Cobui'g. They got a distant 
 glimpse of the tower of the Victoria Uni- 
 versity, soon to be removed to Toronto, 
 where its name will not have the historical 
 significance which it had here. Mrs. Sand- 
 ford informed Hugh how many factories the 
 little town contained, cloth, cars, leather, and 
 more besides. Then they had a run of some 
 two hours through a fertile farming coun- 
 try, leaving the train at Belleville, where 
 they were to spend the remainder of the 
 day. Tak'ng an early luncheon, they de- 
 voted the rest of the afternoon and evening 
 to pleasant drives about the picturesque vi- 
 cinity of the pretty little city, wliich, Mrs. 
 Sandford said, was first named Belleville in 
 honor of Arabella, th3 wife of an early gov- 
 ernor. That it deserved the added " e " no 
 one doubted, for all admired its fine situation 
 at the , head of the noble Bay of Quinte, with 
 Cl J^"^ ^ \ P^ * two rapid rivers, the, Tren^^nd the Moira, 
 \*^ A' i^^" running through the town. Everywhere 
 that they drove in the neighborhood they 
 came upon charming glimpses of bay and 
 
 
 r 
 
 l£ 
 
 
 L^» 
 
 
 ,v 
 
 it 
 
gawn the 'giva to the ^cu. 
 
 95 
 
 river, or rich fields of waviiif? grJiii^? tliriv- 
 ing orcliardd and pleasant old homesteads 
 surrounded by their farm-buildings, making 
 many delightful rural j)ictures to carry 
 away. And again Mrs. Sandford reminded 
 them how all that comfort and prosperity 
 was the late fruit of the hard labors and pa- 
 tiently borne privations of the loyal old set- 
 tlers, who chose to begin life over a.ti^ain in 
 the wilderness, rather than sacrifice their 
 political principles and disown the flag they 
 loved so well. 
 
 " I'm afraid I'm not such a Tory as you 
 are. Aunt Bella," said Hugh; "few of us 
 juniors, are in these latter days. But, all 
 the same, it was a noble thing to do — to 
 follow their principles to the bitter end, 
 and go out, like Abraham, into the wilder- 
 ness." 
 
 "But I'm not sure that they were all 
 noble," interposed Kate, who always loved 
 to take the other side for argument's sake. 
 "You know some of them, at any rate, never 
 thought that the American ' rebels ' would 
 succeed ; and Avhen they did, of course, with 
 feeling running so higli, they wouldn't ex- 
 pect much comfort among them^ in any case j 
 
96 
 
 §0xvn the ^ivtt io the ^ra» 
 
 and many of the Loyalists had their farms 
 confiscated, so that they hadn't much choice 
 but to move out ! " 
 
 "Yes; and a burning shame it was for 
 those wlio confiscated tliem ! " rejoined Mrs. 
 Sandford, who had some traditions of tlie 
 kind in her own family. " And I know 
 well enough you got these Yankee ideas 
 from that Mr. Winthrop!" 
 
 "Well," said Kate, calmly, "it was all 
 for the best in the end, though, of course, it 
 was hard for the people who were driven 
 from their homes. But you see, if they had 
 not had to leave them, we might never have 
 had this glorious 'Canada of ours,' of 
 which we are so proud ! " 
 
 " Yes," remarked Hugh, " Mr. Armstrong 
 told me that the narrow and mistaken 
 policy of the American leaders at that 
 time was really the foundation of British 
 Canada." 
 
 And then he went on give them some of 
 the information he had got out of Mi-. Arm- 
 strong's books, the preceding evening, in 
 regard to the beautiful valley of the Trent, 
 through which they were driving. Tie told 
 them how Champlain, three centuries ago, 
 
§om% tie ^vct to the j5ca. 
 
 97 
 
 had sung its praises at the Court of the Grand 
 Momirq^e^ as "a region very charming and 
 delightful," where the park-like aspect of 
 the trees suggested the previous occupancy 
 of the country in bygone days by some 
 superior race. Then, putting aside this pre- 
 liibtoric period, it was here that Chaniplain, 
 on his way to his mistaken raid on the 
 Iroquois, which was tlie beginning of so 
 much strife and trouble, had joined his sav- 
 age allies in an Indian " Chevy Chase " — in 
 which, by mishap, he wounded one of his 
 dusky friends. But these old stories have 
 long ago been forgotten, in the interest of 
 mines — gold and iron — which, found in the 
 vicinity, have, as usual, somewhat deterio- H 
 rated the region to which they have given r) •• 
 
 ^ ■ 
 
 an artificial stimulus. As they drove in 
 from Trenton, a small place at the confla- y^'*- -^^ U. C/U>^ 
 ence of t'le Trent with the bay, in the soft 
 falling dusk, Hugh entertained his com- 
 panions by repeating some of his favorite 
 passages from " Hiawatha ; " and May, who 
 was poetical and patriotic enough to be 
 something of a student of Canadian poetry, 
 repeated a sonnet by one of Canada's ear- 
 liest singers, Charles Saugster, who, falling 
 7 
 
 "j 
 
 T ^ /W' 
 
 "j^*'"WV</ '* 
 
98 
 
 gawtt the Pier U the J^ea. 
 
 on evil days, has not achieved the fame which 
 his genius deserved : — 
 
 "My footsteps press, where, centuries ago, 
 The red man fought and conquered, lost and 
 
 won ; 
 Where tribes and races, gone like last year's 
 snow, 
 Have found th' eternal hunting grounds, and 
 run 
 The fiery gauntlet of their active days, 
 
 Till few are left to tell the niournfi'l tale ; 
 And these inspire us with such wild amaze. 
 
 They seem like spectres passing down a vale 
 Steeped in uncertain moonliglit on their way 
 Towards some bourne wht;re darkness blinds 
 the day, 
 And night is wrapped in mystery profound. 
 
 We cannot lift the mantle of the past : 
 We seem to wander over hallowed ground. 
 We scan the trail of thought, but all is over- 
 cast." 
 
 " Thank yon," said Hugh, " I should like 
 to see more of that poet. I like his vein 
 very much." 
 
 " Oh, May can give you screeds of any 
 length from his * St. Lawrence and the 
 Saguenay ' as we go along. And T daresay 
 you can get tlie book in Kingston — he is a 
 
g0Wtt the '^ivtt to the j5ca. 
 
 90 
 
 Kingstonian, I believe," said Kate, who was 
 not particularly poetical. 
 
 And then as the shadows of night drew 
 softly about them, the fireflies flashed in 
 jind out of the woods with unusual bril- 
 liancy, affording the Scotch cousins a new 
 subject for observation and delight. 
 
 " I declare," said Hugh, " one can scarcely 
 get rid of the feeling that they might set 
 the woods on fire ! " 
 
 "They are not common so late in the 
 season," said Kate. " Only now and then, 
 for some reason best known to themselves, 
 they show themselves, but only in the 
 woods." 
 
 " And tliei'e is the whip-poor-will ! " ex- 
 claimed May, eagerly. 
 
 " Oh, I'm so glad I " said Flora, after lis- 
 tening attentively. "That is one thing I 
 did want to see or hear ! " 
 
 "You are much more likely to hear it 
 than to see it," said jMay. " It is very hard 
 to get a good look at one, for it seldom aji- 
 pears in daylight." 
 
 But soon the fireflies and the whip-poor- 
 will were left behind, and they were once 
 more rattling over city streets. And then, 
 
100 gown the giver to the J>ea. 
 
 
 after a substantial tea, they went to rest, 
 for the steamer for Kingston was to start at 
 six in the morning. 
 
 As the scenery of the Bay of Quinte de- 
 pends very much on the weather, the little 
 party were foi'tunate in having a lovely 
 changeful morning, with soft mists and 
 cloud-shadows that gave a charming variety 
 of tint and tone to the beautiful bay and its 
 fair, gently sloping shores. The little 
 steamer " Hero " passed in rapid succession 
 one picturesque point after another — the 
 bay sometimes expanding into a broad, 
 wind-rippled expanse ; sometimes narrow- 
 ing into calm reaches or inlets, mirroring 
 the foliage on eitiier side. At the head of 
 the largest reach or arm of the bay, the 
 steamer stopped at the pretty little town of 
 Picton, nestling beneath a noble wooded 
 hill, with gentler slopes rising about it in 
 all directions. Whether Picton or Port 
 Hope possessed the more picturesque site 
 was a question they found it hard to de- 
 cide. Returning down this long reach 
 Hugh was seized with a desire to see the 
 " Lake of the Mountain," on the high table- 
 land above the bay, of which he had often 
 
goww the ilivfv to the ^tn, 101 
 
 a- 
 
 heard. And Kate, who considered nothing 
 impossihle, actually persuaded the obliging 
 captain to keep the boat at the landing be- 
 low it for half an hour, in order to give 
 them time for a hurried visit. Mrs. Sand- 
 ford, of course, graciously declined the 
 climb, but the others hastened up the steep p-*^p 
 ascent, where a mill-race came rushing down 
 the height, amid a lush growth of ferns 
 that grew luxuriously among the dark, wet 
 rocks, between which they picked their 
 way. But, once at the top, what a glorious 
 view ! Right below their feet stretched the 
 lovely reach — widening out into the broad 
 bay at the end of a long promontory diver- 
 sified with fields and farms and wooded 
 shores. Close beside them, on the other 
 hand, lay the lovely little lake they had come 
 to see — calmly sleeping in the sunshine, with 
 as little apparent mystery about it as if its 
 very existence were not an unsolved prob. 
 lem ; one supposition being, that, as it is at 
 about the same level as Lake Erie, it may 
 be fed by a secret communication with that 
 distant sheet. But they had only a few 
 minutes to stay beside the beautiful mys- 
 terious little tarn, and to enjoy the lovely 
 
 
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 ^yr> 
 
 v^T 
 
 ■i. ..y 
 
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 UT* 
 
 J-yK/ " 
 
 i 
 
 102 gown the ^ivtv U the <^ea. 
 
 view spread before their eyes, for the 
 steamer just below was already wliistlin*^ to 
 reeall tliem, and they hurried down to rejoin 
 lier,~ somewhat warm and out of breath, 
 but with all the satisfaction one feels in 
 making the best of one's opportunities. 
 
 As they left the reach, a sun-shower 
 rolled up, accompanied with distant thun- 
 der; but it only seemed to add a be- 
 witching variety to the tones of the 
 distance, and of the water, and, when the 
 sunshine broke out again, conjuring up an 
 exquisite rainbow, and the light and shade 
 chfised each other over the golden fields 
 of waving barley — the beauty of the bay 
 with the perspective of the " Long IJeach" 
 in the distance, seemed still greater than 
 before. The travelers were content to sit 
 still, passively absorbing the charm of the 
 hour, while they looked on in a dreamy 
 fashion at the various points of interest ; 
 at Point Mississa^a, named, of course, in 
 honor of the former "lords of the soil," 
 whose "^o^ewi," a crane, seemed to be ap- 
 propriately keeping guard over the spot; 
 then at the various villages and townships ; 
 —at Deseronto, a busy little lumbering 
 
§om the ^iicr to the ^e«. loa 
 
 place, named after an Indian chief, whose 
 formidable name sij^nittes " Thunder and 
 Lightning; " — at a forsaken-looking little 
 " Jiath," with its ambitious name, and at a 
 long succession of " towns," or rather town- 
 ships, named, by the overflowing enthusiasm 
 of the U. E. Loyalists, after the numerous 
 olive branches of old (leorge the Third. 
 There is Ernestown and Adolphustown, and 
 Ameliasburg and jNIarysburgh ; and there 
 is Amherst Island, named, like Picton, after 
 an English general, and said to have been 
 lost by a noble owner at a game of cards! 
 Hugh declared that the loyalty and /in'ffsh- 
 ness of everything were rather monotonous, 
 and could not refrain from heartily wishing 
 that these good people had not, in their 
 zeal, undertaken to change to the connnon- 
 place name of Kingston the melodious Indian 
 name of Cataraqui ! For here they were now 
 coming in sight of this old " limestone 
 city" — the oldest settlement in Ontario, the 
 cradle of British Canada — and, to May, sur- 
 rounded with a halo of romance from its 
 close association with the history and fort- 
 une of her brave but hapless hero, the 
 dauntless explorer, LaSalle. 
 
 
 
104 §ovcn the ^ivcr to the Jfea. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 AMONG TIIK BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS. 
 
 And now they were rapidly approaching 
 the gray, " limestone city,"which rises pict- 
 uresquely on its slope behind its line of 
 wharves, and elevators, and masts of ves- 
 sels, with a certain quiet dignity not unbe- 
 coming its antiquity, and derived, partly 
 from its harmonious gray coloring, and 
 partly from the graceful towers and spires 
 that form so prominent a feature in its as- 
 pect. And it was by no means easy for 
 May to call up in imagination — as she tried 
 to do — the wild, savage loneliness of the 
 place, with its wooded slopes, as yet un- 
 touched by the hand of tlie settler, as it 
 presented itself to La Salle, when he tirst 
 discovered the advantages of making Cata- 
 raqui his base of operations ; or even as it 
 was seen by the first detachment of U. E. 
 Loyalists, when their batteaitx, slowly mak- 
 
Jott-n the giver to the jJea. 105 
 
 iiig their way up the St. Lawrence, rounded 
 the long promontory now surmounted l)y 
 the ramparts of Fort Henry. One tall 
 tower, seen long before any other evidence 
 of a city appeared, belonged, the captain 
 told them, to the Roman Catholic Cathe- 
 dral. Presently, however, extensive piles 
 of fine public buildings attracted their at- 
 tention, which they found were unfortu- 
 nately the shelter of lunacy and crime, 
 Kingston beuig the seat of the Provincial 
 Penitentiary, as well as of a large asylum. 
 In welcome contrast, they were shown the 
 Gothic tower of Queen's University, rising 
 above an efUonraf/e of trees, though far 
 from being as imposing in its dimensions as 
 these palaces of gloom. From thence, the 
 eye wandered over other towers and domes 
 and spires, relieved by masses of verdure, 
 which led them easily to believe the cap- 
 tain's report th.at Kingston is a very at- 
 tractive city, especially when summer had 
 embowered it in shade. And there were 
 great schooners, under a full spread of can- 
 vas, and massive lake steamers and pro- 
 pellers, and little active steam-launches, 
 flitting about, iu striking contrast — May 
 
106 IJoa'tt the JUvcv to the ^c». 
 
 thoiiglit — to the stillness of the scene, 
 broken only by the Inxiuois eanoes, when 
 Frontenjie's tiotilhi ciune in stiiie np tlie 
 lonely rivtii* to found old lM)rt Fronleniic. 
 
 "And what a glorious sheet of wjiter 
 around it!" exclaimed Hu<;h, takinj^ in 
 with an admiring- <''a/e the westward blue 
 ex})anse of lake and the g-reat wide sweep 
 of river studded with islands, stretehini^ 
 away to eastward, which they told him was 
 the St. Lawrence, at last. And then, as 
 they rounded the curve of the tine harbor, 
 ."ud saw before them, on the one side, the 
 line cut-stone front of the City Hall and on 
 the other, on a long*, green ])romontory, the 
 Ivoyal Military College, with its smart Nor- 
 man tower:3, they observed a long bridge 
 behind which the river Cataraqui winds its 
 way down from the northeast, and forms 
 this beautiful harbor by its eonliuenf e with 
 the St. Lav/rence. Six miles up its placid 
 stream, they were told, the IJideau Canal 
 had its beginning at a picturesque gorge 
 where are the first massive stone locks, which 
 form one_of the finest pieces of masonry on 
 the continent. This Hideau Canal binds 
 together a chain of lovely little lakes, and 
 
Joun tlic ^mx to the ^ti\, lo" 
 
 ftnjilly meets the liidejiu Uiver, and so makes 
 a conveiiiesit water-way to Ottawa, — de- 
 sij^ned, it is said, by the Duke of \\'eliin<^- 
 ton, as a means of intereommunication re- 
 mote from the frontier. 
 
 "And where are the old Tete-dn-pont 
 barraeksV" asked j\Iay, wiio had got that 
 name, by heart, out of Parkman, tiiat she 
 mis'ht be able to fix for lierself the site of 
 the old Freneh fort whieh Frontenae had 
 inauj^urated and La Salle had eommanded. 
 
 She was shown some gray stone build- 
 ings, enelosing a quadrangle, at the nearer 
 end of the long, low bridge crossing the 
 Cataraqui to the opposite plateau with tlie 
 green slope beyond it, on whicli stood the 
 main defences of Kingston, — Fort Tleniy 
 above, and, near the Military College, cer- 
 tain round stone towers, which, scattered 
 about the harbor, gave quite an air of mili- 
 tary distinction to the place. 
 
 "I'm afraid none of them would be of 
 much good, nowadays," remarked a pas- 
 senger, and Hugh laughingly assented, add- 
 ing, " We may trust, I hope, that they will 
 never be needed." 
 
 " Not much danger, I think," was the re- 
 
108 gawtt the fim to the ^ea. 
 
 ply. " We may have a tiff with the ' States' 
 once hi a while; but there are too many 
 Canadians there now ! We can't afford to 
 quarrel." 
 
 They went, on landing, to a hotel bearing 
 the appropriate name of " Hotel Frontenac," 
 where they did full justice to an early din- 
 ner. And, after that, having a couple of 
 hours or so to spare, before starting for the 
 island, they drove through the pleasant lit- 
 tle city, embowered in the shady avenues ex- 
 tending in every direction, its streets strik- 
 ing off at all angles. Of course they went 
 to look at the two cathedrals, the l^oman 
 Catholic one being a massive Gothic building 
 with an equally massive tower, and at the 
 graceful Gothic temple of Queen's Univer- 
 sity, on its fine open campus^ and then fol- 
 lowed the charming drive by the lake-shore, 
 till they passed the great, and as they 
 thought, gloomy masses of the Penitentiary 
 and Asylum buildings, and then came out 
 on another unimpeded view of the blue 
 lake. Then returning, they drove back past 
 quiet suburban residences, within spacious 
 and shady grounds, admiring the substan 
 tial and comfortable look of the houses, and 
 
§0Wtt the llivcv to the ^e». 109 
 
 the tastefully kept surroundings ; — and 
 through the pretty little park, stretching 
 on one side, down to the breezy lake shore, 
 with its round stone tower, and, on the other, 
 rising in a gentle slope crowned by a state- 
 ly Grecian court-house, wath picturescjue 
 cliurch towers rising around it in the back- 
 ground. And at one side of this park, they 
 made a little detour to look at the Hospital, 
 whose plain central building was the first 
 local habitation of the Parliament of Upper 
 and Lower Canada, when Kingston, for a 
 few years occupied the position of capita) of 
 the recently united provinces. Then re- 
 turning to their boat, they passed a hiind- 
 sonie post-office and custom-house, of which, 
 with her spacious city hall, Kingston is nat- 
 urally somewhat vain. The houses they 
 passed were bright with window flowers 
 and baskets of blooming plants, prettily re- 
 lieving the green sward in front ; and they 
 all agreed that Kingston bore worthily 
 enough its prestifie of being the oldest his- 
 torical city in Ontario — the present name of 
 western Canada. 
 
 Hut though it was nearly four o'clock, and 
 the beautiful islands were before them — they 
 
no ^om the llivct to the <f ea. 
 
 
 went to snatch, at May's desire — a peep at 
 the old 7'ete-du-ponthiiYr?iGk^, with weather- 
 worn gateway and interior scjuare, in which, 
 wlien the foundations of tlie barracks were 
 laid, there were some traces fo ;nd of old 
 Fort Frontenac, which had therefore evi- 
 dently stood on that very site. May, at 
 least, looked at it with a sincere reverence, 
 and as she thought of how many changing 
 phases of fortune in her hero's history that 
 square had been the scene. 
 
 But now it was almost four o'clock, and 
 they must hasten to the boat that was to 
 carry them to the beautiful islands which had 
 been beckoning them so long. As the Pierre- 
 pont glided out of the protected harbor, the 
 afternoon sun lighted up the grey mass of 
 the city, and the Norman towers of the 
 Royal Military College, standing on its strip 
 of cmnjyus, to their left, as they entered the 
 real St. Lawrence, while beyond it rose above 
 them the green hill-slope which forms the 
 r/lacis of the low, long-stretching ramparts 
 of Fort Henry, with its fortified water-way, 
 and the round grey toAvers at its base. And 
 as they rounded its long promontory, leaving 
 the distant city behind it, May once more 
 
gown the ^ivfv U the ^ea. Ill 
 
 tried to picture the solitude of the scene as 
 La Salle first knew it, broken only by his 
 own canoe and those of the ferocious Iro- 
 quois. Meantime IIu<^h, not less interested 
 in the historical associations of the place, 
 drew from her, by cross-questioning, an out- 
 line of some of the tragic events of which 
 Fort Frontenac had been the scene. IJut 
 gradually the charm of the present hour as- 
 serted itself and all else was forgotten in 
 watching the changing beauty of the scenery 
 around them. A slight thunder-shower 
 seemed to have purified the air, and the 
 brightly shining sun lighted up the rich 
 green of the woods, the golden tones of 
 the harvest fields on the shores they were 
 passing, and the grey rocks and shaggy 
 foliage of some scattered islets on their 
 course, one of which. Cedar island, was 
 crowned by a round tower, — islets which 
 were, they were told, really the outrunners 
 of the great archipelago farther down the 
 river. As they passed the water-rampart 
 of the fort, Hugh observed that it seemed 
 to be falling to pieces, and remarked that 
 the government might look better after its 
 property. 
 
112 §0xu the giver to the ^ea. 
 
 " It may just iis well go to pieces," said a 
 voice behind them. "It would be of very little 
 us(> if we did go in for concjuest, and I hope 
 there is no likelihood of any serious hostili- 
 ties between the two countries." 
 
 — " Well, Mrs. Sandford, have you for- 
 gotten me ? " the voice continued. " 1 low do 
 you do. Miss Severne ? I am delighted to 
 meet you again." 
 
 Kate had looked up with a start as the 
 first tones of the stranger's voice caught her 
 ear, and perhaps there was just a tinge of 
 heightened .^olour on her cheek as she 
 greeted the speaker with her usual frank 
 ease. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Winthrop ! I never thought 
 of encountering you in this (piiet corner of 
 the world. What accident brings you this 
 way?" 
 
 " It was not quite an accident," he replied, 
 smilhig. "I met Jack Armstrong yester- 
 day on the train between Port Hope and 
 Cobourg, and he told me of your arrange- 
 ments; and as I just got in an hour or two 
 ago, and found out that this was the speedi- 
 est way of getting over to Clayton, where I 
 am bound for a few days' fishing, I thought 
 
^own the Jiivcr \o the ^^e«. 113 
 
 I would waylay you — and here I am, as you 
 
 It 
 
 see. 
 
 " As we are very glad to see," Kate re- 
 plied, gracefully. " Let me introduce my 
 cousin. Miss Thorburn, and my Scotch cous- 
 ins, Mr. and Miss Macnab." 
 
 May eyed the newcomer critically, and a 
 little jealously, for in the interests of the 
 inciiiient romance that she had begun to 
 weave for Kateivnd Hugh, she did not relish 
 his appearance — especially taken in connec- 
 tion with the remarks she had heard from 
 Xellie Armstrong. lie was, he^wever, as 
 she could not help admitting, a very pleas- 
 ant-looking man, not very young, in fact, a 
 good deal older than ilugli Macnab, with 
 Ivcen, scrutinizing gray eyes and mobile face, 
 full of intelligence and expression. To May, 
 Hugh's was much the finer face, but she could 
 not help feeling that Mr. Winthrop's was 
 decidedly attractive, and she inwardly trem- 
 l)led for the prospects of the younger man. 
 She felt that Mr. Winthrop's quick glance 
 took in the whole 2yerso)inel of the little 
 party, as the introductions were made. 
 
 " Well, Mrs. Sandford," he resumed, when 
 he had courteously greeted each in turn, his 
 8 
 
114 Jowtt the ^ivn U the ^m. 
 
 eye resting for a inoincnt, with evident ad- 
 miration upon the rosy, fresh-faced Scotcli 
 lassie, — "I hope you are prepared in the 
 goodness of your lieart, to extend a Uttle 
 toleration to a reprohate IJepublican lilce 
 me. I'll try not to wound your sensibili- 
 ties quite so nuK^li, this time! " 
 
 " Oh, you didn't hurt me at all ! " 
 said that lady, good-lmmoredly. " I know 
 you don't mean any harm; it's tlie way you 
 were broui^dit up. But you must not put 
 traitorous ideas into these young people's 
 heads. There's Kate, now " 
 
 But liere th;it young woman hastily in 
 terposed : " Would you mind getting us an- 
 other seat, Mr.Winthrop?" said she, "Miss 
 Maenab is quite in the sun." i 
 
 Mr. Winthrop at once performed the sug- 
 gested service, and then, the previous topic 
 having been shunted olf, the whole party 
 surrendered themselves to the dreamy 
 charm of the afternoon — of the golden sun- 
 shine and dappling shade, that threw such 
 a spell of beauty over the undulating shore, 
 with its yellow harvest-fields and deep, 
 green woods, country houses gleaming 
 white through trees, and comfortable farm- 
 
Sown the 5^ivct to the ^ea. 115 
 
 houses nestling amid bowery orchards, be- 
 ginning to be weighed down with their load 
 of fruit. 
 
 The real width of the river, here about 
 eiglit miles, is at some points narrowed 
 down to apparently two or three miles and 
 sometimes much less, by the large islands 
 that divide it and extend for some twenty 
 miles below Kingston. One of these — Howe 
 Island, named after a r»ritish general — cuts 
 off a very picturesque chainiel down which 
 lay the course of their l)oat. At intervals 
 of a few miles, the boat slopped jit primi- 
 tive wharves, where the country folk, who 
 had been to market, landed with their innu- 
 merable parcels and baskets, of all shapes 
 and sizes, farming implements, peram- 
 bulators, etcetera. At one landing they 
 put ashore a pile of dressed lumber — at 
 another, a horse ; at still another, the heter- 
 ogeneous mass of luggage belonging to a 
 family " going into villeyiatura " — as Mrs. 
 Sandford put it — including a great box con- 
 taining a parlor organ. For the farmer- 
 folk their horses and conveyances were pa- 
 tiently waiting, and very soon they might 
 be seen driving slowly homewards along 
 
116 gawtt the ^xvtK U the jlea. 
 
 11 
 
 ;.jii 
 
 the country roads that followed the curve 
 of the shore, or struck back among the 
 fields and woods. A beautiful, new, var- 
 nished boat that had excited Hugh's rather 
 envious admiration from the time he came 
 on board, was at last unshipped and 
 rowed away by its happy owner, whose 
 camping outfit proclaimed that he was 
 bound on a delightful holiday. Here and 
 there they caught glimpses of white tents 
 and gay flags, where lived a little commu- 
 nity of campers, who Avaved their handker- 
 chiefs as the boat went by; and cheered as 
 if a steamboat were a new and unheard-of 
 triumph of inventive skill. At one point, 
 the shore of the island to their right, rose 
 picturesquely into high banks clothed with 
 a rich growth of light, fluttering birch and 
 sombre cedar, the contrast of which de- 
 lighted the travelers. There was quite a 
 romantic-looking landing here, beside an old 
 ruined lime-kiln, and the road wound pict- 
 uresquely up the wooded height, the two 
 or three figures seen walkinr up the wind- 
 ing path, as the boat receded, looking — 
 May declared — " just like people in the be- 
 ginning of a story." 
 
 'L'un 
 
§oxcn the ^Ivct ta the jleu. 117 
 
 "And so they are — or in tlie middle of 
 it," suid Mr. Wintlirop. "Pencil of us is 
 livinj^ in a story of our own, after all, and I 
 suppose each would have its own interest if 
 it could only be read just as it is." 
 
 " Only some stories are more interesting 
 than others," suj^gested Hugh. 
 
 " And those people evidently think 
 theirs is particularly interesting just now," 
 remarked Kate, for they were just passing 
 a little cluster of tiny cottages and tents, 
 where a large and merry party were sum- 
 mering, with much display of bright bunt- 
 ing and many skiffs ; and where young a.^d 
 old alike seemed to get into a state of wild 
 excitement as the boat passed, saluting her 
 with horns and a white flutter of handker- 
 eliiefs that might haVe passed for a flight 
 of pigeons. The captain of the steamboat 
 courteously returned the salute with his 
 steam whistle, with the laconic remark: 
 "Makes them feel happy," which seemed 
 true, for the demonstrations were renewed 
 with fresh vigor and continued till the 
 little encampment was out of sight. 
 
 But the dark thunder-clouds had been 
 again stealing up behind them, and now the 
 
118 Joan the %mx to the jlca. 
 
 lights on the shore and the foliage disap- 
 l)eared, the cedars looking especially som- 
 bre in the growing gloom. 
 
 " There's a scpiall coming down tlie river," 
 said Ifngh Macnab, who had been watching 
 from tlie stern the pretty gronping of the 
 small islands that here studded the chamiel. 
 
 " Ves, indeed," said Kate. " They often 
 come np here suddenly. Look how one 
 point after another is sponged out by the 
 gray mist. See there, how the rain is 
 driving down over there already." 
 
 "And it will be here in a minute," said 
 Mr. Winthrop, rising hastily. " Come, you 
 must all get into the centre of the boat, well 
 under the awning, if you won't go down 
 stairs." 
 
 Mrs. Sandford thought it best to retreat 
 to the cabin below, being afraid of thunder, 
 but all the others protested that it was 
 much too interesting to watch the arrival 
 of the storm. At a sugorestion from Mr. 
 Winthrop, however, he and Hugh made a 
 dash down to the cabin for wraps and um- 
 brella, returning in a second or two with 
 an armful of waterproofs, in which the 
 ladies were all carefully wrapped before the 
 
§tim\ the ^Ivct to the jlca. 119 
 
 first heavy rain-drops came pattering down 
 on deck. And then, for a minute, how 
 they did come down, hisliing the deck till it 
 was flooded ; — even where they sat the 
 droi)s flew into their faces, and, hut for tlie 
 waterproofs, would have dienched their 
 garments. Kate, who loved a storm, was 
 looking brilliantly handsome, and so — May 
 was sure — thought Mr. Winthrop, who 
 kept his position near her, so as to shelter a 
 little from the onslaught of the rain. And 
 how — she inwardly wondered — would Hugh 
 Macnab like the sudden invasion from this 
 stranger and foreigner, who seemed to 
 make himself so very nnich at home ? She 
 fancied that his somewhat sensitive face 
 looked clouded, but perhaps it was only 
 the reflection of the clouds without, for, 
 presently \v^hen the rain-drops gradually 
 ceased, and the sun shone out again, 
 brighter, as it seemed, than ever, his face 
 brightened, too, and he watched eagerly for 
 the first appearance of what might properly 
 be called the real Thousand Island group. 
 
 " There they are ! " Kate exclaimed, at 
 length, as some soft, cloud-like forms loomed 
 up against the distant horizon, still some- 
 
120 ^omi the llivct *0 the ^e«. 
 
 what misty with the receding rain. " See 
 how they cluster there together ! And do 
 you see those tiny white specks? Those 
 are the liglithouses tliat mark the channt'l. 
 And tliere, if you can catch a glimpse of 
 some white houses heyond those islands — , 
 those are i)art of the poetically named town 
 of Gananoque, ' Roc/cs in, Deep Water ^^ as 
 the Invlian name signifies. And it is a good 
 enough description, if only they would have 
 added 'Kocks in Shallow Water' as well; 
 for there is certainly no lack of rocks in 
 either the depths or the shallows ! " 
 
 And now the little steamer began to wind 
 in and out among the clustered islets, some 
 of them little more than rough granite 
 crags, bristling with wind-tossed pines, 
 others masses of tangled foliage, and others 
 still, partially cleared, with fanciful little 
 cottages embowered in trees and clustering 
 vines. At some of these cottages the in- 
 habitants, like the campers, amused them- 
 selves by blowing a horn as a salute, to 
 which the steamer amiably responded, after 
 which there would be another flutter of 
 handkerchiefs from the loungers on the 
 verandas or by the shore. 
 
Douu the mvn to the Jica. 121 
 
 "Well," sail Hnt^li, "though we know it 
 really means nothing, it does seem pleasant 
 to be waved at, as if one were eoming 
 home!" 
 
 "And yet the same people would only 
 stare critieally at you it" they met you in 
 the street." 
 
 "It's the air of these charming islands," 
 laugh'^d Kate. "It makes every one so 
 genial and overflowing with the milk of 
 human kindness that they can't help ex- 
 pressing it all round ! " 
 
 "Or so idle that even this mild excite- 
 ment is entertainhig," said Mr. Winthrop. 
 
 "Wait till you have tried it a little 
 while ! " said Kate. " P»n-haps even you 
 may grow less cynical there. But where 
 are you going now?" 
 
 "I believe this little steamer will take me 
 to Clayton to-night. My friends are there 
 fishing, and are expecting me to join them." 
 
 "And that is how far from here?" asked 
 Hugh. 
 
 "About eight miles," Kate replied — " on 
 the American side of the river." 
 
 "Oh, then, we shall meet again, I hope, 
 and improve our acquamtauce," said Hugh, 
 
122 Joivtt the ^ivcv to the ^ea. 
 
 as he rose in response to Mrs. Sandford's 
 commands, for now they had rounded the 
 last iskind and were rapidly approaclnng 
 THe pretty httle town of G anano que, while 
 the slanting rays of the westering sun 
 threw out the foliage of the islands and the 
 shore into the richest green, and gave the 
 whole scene its hrightest aspect. 
 
 Close by the wharf lay a tiny steam- 
 yacht, on whose floating pennon Kate 
 speedily recognized the name " Oneida" 
 and in a moment more the waving of white 
 handkerchiefs announced the presence of 
 the friends who were waiting them there. 
 To May it seemed like a fairy tale to be re- 
 ceived into a i^rivate steam-yacht as an ex- 
 pected guest, instead of the open skiff she 
 had been looking for. It was more than 
 ever like a dream; — the little cabin, the 
 dainty furnishings, the miniature engine 
 with its polished brass fittings — every- 
 thing seemed new, beautiful, delightful. 
 Flora Macnab was equally delighted, de- 
 claring she had " never seen such a dear 
 wee vessel before ; " and Hugh, though 
 quiet as usual, mentally noted everything 
 with much satisfaction. Mr. Winthrop 
 
 tl 
 
§ow\\ the ^'mt U the ^e». 123 
 
 accompanied them on board, carrying Kate's 
 wraps, and was just hurrying off back to 
 the steamer when their host, Mr. Leshe, 
 after a brief introduction, urged tliat he 
 should accompany the others as his guest. 
 — "For I can assure you we can always 
 make room for one guest more," — he said 
 with cheery hospitality. 
 
 But Mr. Winthrop declined the invitation 
 with many thanks, on the ground that his 
 friends were expecting him, adding that if 
 he n>ight be allowed to come a little later, 
 for a day or two, he should be delighted to 
 do so. 
 
 "Anytime you will," said Mr. Leslie, and 
 he hurried off to catch his boat, which was 
 on the point of starting again, wliile the 
 others were duly introduced to tlie mem- 
 bers of Mr. Leslie's family who had come 
 to meet them. The little steam-yacht only 
 waited for a su[)ply of baskets, containing 
 supplies, to be stowed away on board, and 
 then it, too, uttered its shrill little parting 
 whistle, and darted off on its way to the 
 island, some miles distant, which was Mr. 
 Leslie's summer home. To May it seemed 
 like fairyland — this little evening sail among 
 
124 §oxm i\\t '^ivtx ta the ^ea. 
 
 i 
 
 
 these lovely islands, in a yacht so low as to 
 bring the eye on a level with their base, 
 and not going too fast to enable her to enjoy 
 in detail the beauty of lichen-crested rocks 
 festooned with creepers and wild roses, and 
 of still, placid reaches, dyed crimson and 
 purple by the sunset hues, wliere clusters 
 of snowy water-lilies were shining like stars 
 amid the dark leaves. In the subdued even- 
 ing light, the nearer islands were so soft a 
 green — the distant ones looked softly j)ur- 
 ple in the liglit haze that helped to idealize 
 the scene, — that May, for one, would have 
 liked to wind in and out in this dreamy, 
 leisurely fashion for hours, and was almost 
 sorry when she avus startled from her 
 dream by the shrill whistle of the yacht, 
 and found they were nearing a little rustic 
 pier flanked by dusky pines antl cedars. 
 
 The party were soon disemljarked amid 
 the lively little group tliat stood awaiting 
 them on the pier — young men in boating 
 flannels, lively children, young girls in 
 cool, light blouses and dark blue skirts, 
 jveady liands seized packages and baskets, 
 and then they all followed an ascending, 
 fragrant, sloping path that led between 
 
§0\xts, the ilivcv to the ^ca. 125 
 
 weew 
 
 lichenetl rocks and iiod(liii<^ ferns to an 
 open glade higher up, where stood their 
 pretty summer cottage, with its wide ve- 
 randas, looking capacious enough to accom- 
 modate two or three city houses. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Leslie were excellent hosts ; and, in a 
 few minutes, every one was conducted to a 
 room, and May found herself installed in 
 what she mentally styled the dearest little 
 nest, up under the eaves, connnanding 
 what seemed, in the transfiguring evening 
 light, the most enchanting view of the 
 island-studded channel. It reminded her 
 of her room and window at the Clifton ; — 
 both views so beautiful, and yet so alto- 
 gether different. 
 
 But she was not long left to her dream- 
 ing, for a peremptory horn sounded, and 
 Kate and Flora were calling to her to has- 
 ten down to tea. Downstairs, in a simply- 
 furnished room, with large P^rench win- 
 dows opening on a wide piazza, they found 
 a long tea-table spread for the recent ar- 
 rivals — the rest of the party having already 
 finished their evening meal, being, indeed, 
 too hungry to wait for anybody. 
 
 "For we're all as hungry as hawks 
 
126 g0uitt the givet tu the ^ca- 
 
 here ! " doclared one of the merry girls in a 
 boating-dress. " Between boating and fish- 
 ing and running about, we're out all day 
 long, and that gives one no end of an appe- 
 tite." 
 
 After tea there was a delicious hoar or 
 two on the veranda, the only alloy being the 
 visits of a few mosquitoes. " Nothing like 
 what we have had, however," Mrs. Leslie 
 observed. " We've often been obliged to re- 
 treat within the shelter of our mosquito- 
 blinds in the evening. But to-morrow will 
 be the first of August, and we are not 
 likely to be troul)led with them much 
 longer." 
 
 " That is a comfort ! " exclaimed Flora, 
 who seemed to be a favorite victim of the 
 troublesome little insects. " But how 
 startlingly bright the fire-flies are," she said 
 presently, as it grew darker, and the scin- 
 tillating living sparks of fire — as they 
 seemed — flashed in and out of the trees, giv- 
 ing the impression — as Hugh remarked— 
 that they might really set fire to them. 
 And presently she joyously descried, 
 faintly visible near the horizon, a silver 
 thread of crescent moon, the promiser of 
 
Jjou'tt the ^ix'tx to the ^ea. 
 
 127 
 
 ^ 
 
 much additional enjoyment during the 
 weeks of their stay. 
 
 Next morning was as charming a morn- 
 ing as any one could have desiied to see. 
 The river hiy still and calm, and blue as a 
 dream, sleeping, as it seemed, in the em- f,r: 
 
 brace of the clustering green islands, whicli U/>'^"^*\,.v*.- 
 looked so fresh and so cool in the eai'ly ^^ >/ *^ ■ - u^ 
 morning light. May was so excited that i^i^ii^ * 
 she could not sleep a moment after tlie first 
 rosy gleams of sunshine stole into her 
 casement, whicli she had left wide open, 
 that she might not lose a moment of the 
 view which had so delighted her the even- 
 ing before. As she dressed, she feasted her 
 eyes on the delicious freshness of the early 
 morning) on the exquisite tint of the water 
 here and there, just rippled by the faintest 
 breeze, the soft, distaiit, blue islands that 
 seemed to float o\\ the placid stream like 
 " purple lol'js of Eden," the rich couorast of 
 dark evergreen and rich deciduous foliage, 
 on the nearer shores, till it all seemed too 
 exquisite for a reality, and in the stillness 
 of the morning she felt as if she were still 
 in a dream. 
 
 She was soon dressed, however, and has- 
 
128 §0mx the ^iva U the ^ca. 
 
 teiied down, eager to explore, all alone, the 
 island where she was. vShe had only to go 
 a few steps from the piazza to find herself 
 among the primitive rocks, crnsted with 
 gray lichen and cushioned with soft, velvet 
 moss, or overhujig with the glossy foliage 
 of the bear- berry or the vines of the 
 whortle-berry, from which the dark blue 
 fruit was dropping as she raised them. 
 She followed a winding pathway leading 
 under a fragrant archway of overhanging 
 foliage, which wound its way in a rambling 
 fashion about the island, giving, now and 
 then, lovely glimpses, vistas between mossy 
 banks of rock, or pretty little vignettes 
 framed in by an overhanging hendock. At 
 length, after making pretty nearly the tour of 
 '!he island, wending her way among thickets 
 of feathery sumach and broad-leaved rubus, 
 bearing deep crimson flowers, with long 
 festoons of partr-dge-berry, and its white, 
 star-like flowers amid the pine-needles 
 under her feet, and finding, to her great 
 delight, some specimens of the exquisite, 
 snowy Indian-pipe, looking — in the early 
 morning light — more ghostly than ever — she 
 found herself at the little lauding beside 
 
flaunt the ^itiTv fa the ,^ea. 
 
 129 
 
 the boiit-houso, wiieie they had disein- 
 l):iiia'(l oil the previous evening-. There she 
 Silt down to rest on a rustic seat, placed so 
 as to command a ciiarmin;;' vista, with a 
 tiny ishind in the foreg-roiind, which she was 
 al)sorbed in coiitemplaLin.i;', when the plasli 
 of oars broke in upon lier leverie, and slie 
 turned to see who miji-ht be the early oars- 
 man. It was Hugh Macnab, arrayecl in 
 white flannels, with a lovely cluster of wild 
 roses in his h;uid. He <]jreeted her with a 
 smile and came up at once, holding out the 
 roses as he approached. 
 
 "I scarcely expected to find any otie up 
 yet," he said, laughing. " I came out just 
 about dawn, to have the full enjoyment of 
 this exquisite morning, and thought I 
 v.'ould try a little cruise by myself to see 
 whether I bad forgotten the rowing I 
 learned in my Oxford summer. And I 
 found a little island out yonder, so in- 
 viting for a swim that I couldn't resist it. 
 I should like to show you that same little 
 island,' — he added. " It's only a little way ; 
 won't you come? I>ut what is that you 
 have got in your hand'?" be said, looking 
 
 at the waxen flowers she held. 
 9 
 
w 
 
 130 gawtt the llitcr to the Jrda. 
 
 May expliiiiied whiit the ^^hostly little 
 plant was, and he eaj^erly took it in order to 
 examine it. "Oh, yes, Tve read of tliis cu- 
 rious plant," — he said. " I am so g-lad to 
 actually see one ! Now, su[)pose we ex- 
 change bouquets, if you will take my roses 
 lor your spectral flowers. I brought tlieni 
 over from that island, intending to give 
 them to the lirst lady I met. Please take 
 them ; — it's a case of the early bird getting 
 the worm, you know." 
 
 For May at first hesitated a little. She 
 felt as if the roses ought by right to go to 
 Kate, but then she could not say so. So 
 she ended by thanking him as gracefully as 
 her embarrassment would let her, and put- 
 ting the roses carefully in her belt. They 
 were lovely roses, too, of a pecnliarly deep 
 crimson, as the late wild roses are, and 
 glistening still with the early dew. Hugh 
 placed his "Pipes" carefully in bis hat, for 
 the present, and then led the way to the 
 pretty cedar skiff, with its luxurious cane 
 east chair at the stern, in which she took 
 her seat, with a little inward wonder 
 whether she were doing cpiite right, and 
 the skiff was soon rapidly cleaving its way 
 
 01 
 
 e 
 ;n 
 lei 
 
§o\xn the giver to the ^ea, 131 
 
 through the glassy water under the ([uick 
 strokes of Hugh's oar. It was wonderful, 
 she thought, how nuich he seemed to have 
 improved in health and si)irits during the 
 fortniglit which had passed since she had 
 first met him ; and how much more color 
 and animation he now had. Surely, she 
 thought, Kate would never be so blind as to 
 prefer that Mr. Wintiirop, who, to her eye, 
 was so much less attractive-looking than 
 Hugh! She was too nmch preoccupied in 
 thinking out this problem to say nuich, 
 though she could silently take in the love- 
 liness of the scene. Rounding a rocky 
 point covered with wild roses, from which 
 Hugh had picked his bouquet, they found 
 themselves in a tiny bay, where the limpid 
 wavelets lapped gently upon a beach of sil- 
 ver sand, while the rocks of rosy granite 
 wliich formed the bay were draped in part 
 with a tangle of luxuriant creepers and 
 crested with sweeping pine-bouglis. Pres- 
 ently the boat grated on the sandy beach, 
 and Hugh handed her out of the boat and 
 led the way to a granite ledge commanding 
 an exquisite view of sleeping river and 
 clustering islets. The river lay almost 
 
ti 
 
 Joan the ilivcv to the '^tix. 
 
 {iLsolutt'ly still, only bjirred here Jiiicl thero 
 with loii^ strciiks of iii)i)le thiit Ijotokencd 
 Jill iiiclpitMit breeze. The heavy inasses of 
 verdure on the o[)po.site shore Jiiid the siir- 
 roiindlng isliinds seemed also asleep; only 
 an oeeasional earol of a bird broke the 
 eharnied silence. May and her eoinpanion 
 were very silent also, for ordinary talk in 
 such a hpot, at sneli an honr, seemed well- 
 nip^h profane, and both were too reserved to 
 express the deeper feeliiif^s the scene awak- 
 ened. After a silent interval, May turned 
 to call Tlugh's attention to a distant sail 
 just catching the still slanting rjiys of the 
 sun, when she noticed that he had taken a 
 slip of paper which had been lying in the 
 boat and was writing rai)idly. She re- 
 frained from disturbing him, for how could 
 she tell that he might not be writing 
 poetry? But he had caught lier movement, 
 and presently stopped writing and turned 
 towards her, when the slip of paper, which 
 he was holding carelessly, was caught by 
 the freshening breeze and carried close to 
 her feet. She naturally stooped to pick it 
 up, and involuntarily glancing at it, could 
 see that it %Das poetry ; but Hugh caught it 
 
Jouu the -itiicv to the ^ca. 
 
 B 
 
 from lier, with so imicli ii[)i>iin!ut disco ii- 
 posure, coloiiii;;' vividly, tiiat Ma}' t't-ll sure 
 he was aiiiioytid by liur intervention, and 
 felt a little uncomfortable; the more so be- 
 cause she could not say anything about it. 
 She wondered whether the verses had any 
 reference to Kate, since he seemed so nuich 
 afraid of their being- seen. They rowed 
 back as silently as they had come, and the 
 momentary annoyance soon cleared off the 
 faces of both under the potent charm of the 
 exrjuisite beauty around them. They found 
 only the children astir; but Kate and 
 Flora, when they came down soon after to 
 breakfast, were very curious to know what 
 iMay had been doing with herself — out all 
 alone "almost before daylight," they de- 
 clared — and especially curious to know from 
 whence she had got the lovely little bou- 
 quet of wild roses that looked so charming 
 in her belt. iJut JMay laughingly declared 
 that she did not intend to tell where she got 
 it; and llugli, of course, said nothing a1)out 
 it. She did not, however, w'ear it long. 
 The roses were carefully nut away before 
 they withered, and eventually some of them 
 were pressed to serve as a memento of the 
 
^1 
 
 184 
 
 Jijutt the ^ivm* to tlte ^'ca. 
 
 cr 
 
 loveliest inoniiiij^, May thou^^lit, that she had 
 ever seen. She told Kate, however, that 
 Hugh had given her a row to a neighboring 
 island, feeling a little guilty as she diii so. 
 But Kate only remarked, as if the thing 
 were a matter of eourse: "Well, I'm glad 
 Hugh has gained so much in energy ! Since 
 he can row so well, I sliall make him row 
 ine about everywhere ! " 
 
 Both she and Flora, however, soon found 
 that they had an embarrds des ric/iesses in 
 tlie matter of rowing, for there were half a 
 dozen youthful oarsmen ready and eager to 
 row or paddle them wherever they desired 
 to go, so that TTugh's services were not so 
 nnich in demand, juid it happened, not in- 
 frecpiently, that May found herself his com- 
 panion in their boating expeditions, and as 
 she had not had much opportunity for row- 
 ing, he undertook to teach her to use the 
 oars in a more artistic manner than she had 
 as yet attained, which proved a very in- 
 teresting occupation to both ; though ISIay 
 sometimes regretted that Kate so often de- 
 clined to acc()mi)any them, fancying that it 
 really hurt Hugh. 
 
 That day and several others glided cway 
 
gown the ^ivet U the ^eu. 135 
 
 only too swiftly. Xo one could imagine 
 where the hours hud gone. There were 
 evening rows, and sails in a good-sized sail- 
 boat, always at the disposal of any of the 
 party who cared to use it, and aimless 
 meanderings through the tangled paths of 
 the island, sometimes with the ostensible 
 object of berry-picking, for the wild rasp- 
 berries were still found in great abundance, 
 and were in great I'ctpiest for breakfast and 
 tea. In the forenoon there was always a 
 general bathing party, when tlie young men 
 took themselves to one end of the island, in 
 order to practise their aquatic feats by 
 themselves, and the girls, in their loose, 
 short bathing suits, disported themselves to 
 their hearts' content in the limpid tide, in a 
 pretty little sandy bay, lined to the water's 
 edge with luxuriant foliage, which almost 
 concealed the little rustic bathing box. 
 Then there was the luxurious lounge, with 
 a pleasant book, before the early dinner, in 
 a shady corner of the veranda, for these 
 August days were pretty warm. For a 
 while after dinner there was a suspiciously 
 quiet air al)out Sumach Lodge, as it was 
 called ; but when the heat of the day began 
 
136 §om the iXiva to the ^tiu 
 
 to give place to the cool afternoon breeze, 
 the little party began to wake up from its 
 siesta, and skiffs and canoes were hauled 
 out and filled, as little groups departed on 
 various expeditions, some simply to explore 
 island nooks, some to fish, and some to 
 gather the water-lilies which grew in a 
 secluded bay not far off, or, on a breezy 
 afternoon, to try a sailing cruise in a pretty 
 " butterfly " sailboat belonging to one of the 
 young men, who was always glad to nuister 
 a crew. In the cool of the evening the 
 " boys " often tried their canoe races, some- 
 times playfully wrestling as they passed 
 each other, for they never minded an upset, 
 but were back in their canoes again almost 
 as soon as they were out of them. And 
 now that the moon was rapidly growing in 
 size and light, no one wanted to do anything 
 in the evening, but sit on the veranda or the 
 shore, and enjoy the charming moonlight 
 effects. May, of course, was never tired of 
 watcliing the trenuilous path of silver 
 stretching from island to island, or the 
 exquisite effect when some picturesque 
 cluster of islets stood out in dark relief on 
 wliat seemed a silver sea, and — a very un- 
 
gottJtt the ^ivct ta the ^e«. 137 
 
 )f 
 
 )U 
 
 II- 
 
 usual phenomenon — when the shadow of the 
 island was thrown across its reflection in 
 the scarcely rippled river. Hugh ^hicnab, 
 like herself, seemed fascinated with the 
 mysterious beauty of the niooidit scene, 
 and was frequently suspected of endeavor- 
 ing to reproduce its charm in verse. 
 
 These seemed truly enchanted evenings, 
 which no one wished to cut short, so that 
 ^hiy found that the late hours she kept at 
 night came a good deal in the way of the 
 enjoyment of those early morning hours 
 which she had at first thought so delight- 
 ful. l>ut, with such moonlight pictures 
 spread around them for their delectation, it 
 seemed a waste of privileges to spend any 
 of these wonderful hours in sleep ; and as 
 tlie moon grew later and later so did the 
 hours of the junior members of the party. 
 
 One of the favorite spots which May, foi 
 one, was never tired of visiting, either un- 
 der the idealizing influence of moonlight or 
 in the rich glow of sunset, was a charming 
 little land-locked bay which wound its wa}-- 
 for some distance into one of the larger 
 islands in the vicinity. The entrance looked 
 like any other curving recess of the shore, 
 
 ■ "t- 
 
i 
 
 188 §o\xn i\xt "^S^vtv io iU ^m. 
 
 but, once witliiii, it was a surprise to find 
 the bay continuing its course like a tiny- 
 river, between banks of high jagged crags, 
 l)artially draped with nodding birch, shaggy 
 hemlock, and spreading oak and maple. 
 And however rough the waves miglit be 
 outside of this charmed spot, the water 
 within was always calm and glassy in its 
 stillness. In its innermost recess, where 
 further progress was stayed by the increas- 
 ing shallowness of its bed, reeds and water- 
 plants grew and clustered, water-lily leaves 
 lay floating as if asleep, and here the little 
 basin was walled in on one side by a sheer, 
 bare granite cliff, concave towards the basin, 
 [uid evidently worn smooth, in the long past, 
 l)y the action of grinding ice, though its 
 l)areness was relieved, here and there, by a 
 drooping birch or a cluster of shaggy ferns. 
 At the top of the wall of scarred, lichen- 
 crusted rock, were some r^ the curious natu- 
 ral perforations known iis "pot-holes," ap- 
 parently formed by the action of a stone 
 revolving in a crevice under glacial action. 
 The opposite bank was more sloping and 
 densely wooded, and the effect in the moon- 
 light, under a rich sunset sky, was pecul- 
 
§own the ^mx to the J-ea. 1B9 
 
 iarly striking and impressive. This se- 
 cluded spot was sometimes used by tlie 
 summer residents of tlie iieigliboiliood as a 
 natural chapel, where a little cong-reg-ation 
 assembled in their boats for a short service, 
 with a shorter address, in circumstances 
 which might well recall the diviuest sermon 
 ever preached; and made Hugh Macnab 
 think of secret services attended by his 
 covenanting ancestors in the secluded High- 
 land glens which hid them from their per- 
 secutors. Very different, however, were 
 these happy meetings. The songs of praise 
 seemed to gain a peculiar sweetness from 
 the tranquil quietude of the spot, while the 
 vesper carol of a bird occasionally blended 
 with the human melody. Every part of the 
 service was just as solemn as in any church 
 built with hands, and the very novelty of 
 the surroundings tended to carry some of 
 tlie " winged words " into hearts wliich 
 might have heard them unlieedingly under 
 ordinary circumstances. 
 
 On the cooler and more breezy afternoons 
 the "butterfly sailboat" set out with a 
 merry crew for a more extended voyage, fly- 
 ing hither and thither, as the wind suited 
 
140 §own the stiver io the $tih 
 
 , II 
 
 and inclination prompted. Or the little 
 steam-yacht was called into service, and a 
 large party would start for a pr()l()n<;e(l 
 cruise, vriuling in and ont of the many 
 chaiiueis, .is the fancy guided, steering 
 down the broad, breezy reach that lay be- 
 tween the main shore and the clustering 
 islands, with the cool, sparkling waves 
 within • l;v.i> 'V tlieir liands, as the little 
 screw tun"3u . ..-i;i up in showers of spark- 
 lin,L" diainonds on '\vd azu"e behind, while 
 onelnvely Ix.i) nel another spread itself 
 
 before them m 'i:y,o<j - -lUig vista. Now 
 they were passing thickly wooded islands, 
 cool with billowy foliage — now a great gran- 
 ite fortress rising from a fringe of folinge, 
 with battlements and barbican, escarpment 
 and buttress, festooned with creepeis and 
 evergreens, like some hoary medieval ruin. 
 Anon, they were gliding through some 
 glassy strait, with snowy water lilies gleam- 
 ing amid the dark green floating leaves that 
 lined the sheltered bays. Again their course 
 lay under a line of frowning cliffs, crust d 
 with moss and lichen, and tufted with ferns; 
 and presently another broad channel opened 
 before them, through which they could catch 
 
Sown the JUvrv to the ^ea. 141 
 
 1,>L v. 
 
 distant glimpses of clustered tents, or sum- 
 mer hotels, or a pleasant country hoitse 
 peeping out from embowering trees. And, 
 ever and anon, they passed graceful light 
 variushed skill's, laden with hshing parties, 
 or canoes paddled swiftly by skillful hands, 
 with a fair maiden reclining luxuriously 
 among her cushions ; and U; each the little 
 yacht addressed a shrill cheery salutation, 
 responded to by waving handkerchiefs and 
 hats, as each party desired to convey an ex- 
 pression of what a pleasant time they were 
 enjoying, combined with good wishes for the 
 enjoyment of every one else. 
 
 As these delightful excursions were apt to 
 be prolonged for some hours, their hospit- 
 able hostess, knowing that people are apt to 
 be hungry under such circumstances, had 
 "afternoon tea " set out on the little table 
 in the stern, and the guests tliought that 
 nowhere did coffee and cake seem so deli- 
 cious, while merry talk and ti'avelers' 
 tales, and some of Flora's Scotch songs en- 
 lianced the enjoyment of the happy hours. 
 Hugh, who had a good tenor voice, would 
 sometimes join his sister in the old-fash- 
 ioned Jacobite airs which had been familiar to 
 
Ilii 
 
 142 gown the llivft U the ^eu. 
 
 both from childhood, such as " A Wee Bird 
 Caine to Our Ila' Door," or " Bonny CharUe's 
 Now Awa'." May thought she had heard 
 few songs so sweet as the refrain " Will ye, 
 no comeback again .■'''' One verse in par- 
 ticuhir, seemed to catch her and haunt her : 
 
 " Sweet the lev'rock's note, and lang. 
 Lilting wildly down the glen, 
 Still to me he sings ae song, 
 Will ye no come back again ^ " 
 
 And sometimes their talk would drift to 
 graver subjects, as they returned home- 
 wards through lovely vistas of "purple isles 
 of P]dcn," under a sky flushed with the rich 
 glow of sunset, making the calm river burn 
 with crimson and gold, while the rich claret 
 lines of shadow made it seem as if the water 
 were indeed turned into wine, and the peace 
 of the purple twilight gradually faded into 
 the silvery moonlight, and the whole lovely 
 scene seemed hushed into a gentle slumber. 
 
 Sometimes, after such an excursion, when 
 a few neighbors had joined their party, at 
 Sumach Lodge, the young folks would beg 
 for a " camp fire," [ind a pile of brushwood, 
 set ready on the rocks, would be lighted, and 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
gowtt the 2^iv(v to the ^ea. 143 
 
 the party would sit round it, telling stories 
 and cracking jokes, and singing songs, till the 
 rod glare of the fire at length gave way to 
 the still i)ale moonlight, and at last they re- 
 luctantly broke up, scarcely able to tear 
 themselves away from the fascinations of 
 the hour. 
 
 A still longer excursion they made one 
 day, in the swift steamer " Island Wan- 
 derer," which they took at Ganano(£ue, and 
 which carried them by much the same route 
 foi" a longer distance, down the turns and 
 twists of the " Lost Channel " to the little 
 hamlet of Rockport ; then — crossing swiftly 
 to the quiet shady resort of Westminster 
 Park on Well's Island — carried them around 
 its bold wooded headland, to the villa-studded 
 archipelago that teems with island-para- 
 dises, turrets, pagodas, fairy bridges, till it 
 almost reminds the visitor of a willow pat- 
 tern plate, and on to the little town of Al- 
 exandria Bay, with its monster hotels. Here 
 Kate showed them a spot most interesting 
 to jNIay — the pretty mansion of " Uonniecas- 
 tle," for years the summer home of Dr. Hol- 
 land, the first editor of the Centurn maga- 
 zine, and author of "Arthur Bomiiecastle," 
 
144 Joan the X\ivtx ta the ^ca. 
 
 after which ho iiaincd this pleasant home. 
 Kate tohl them how he had once huided in liis 
 titeain-yacht at ail ishuidon which she liad 
 heeii pieiiickin;^ at the tliiie,aiid how eliarnuid 
 she and her friends liadheen with his genial 
 personaUty and talk. Tlicn they steamed 
 swiftly through the hewildering succession 
 of castles and cottages of every conceivahle 
 variety, which make the American channel 
 here seem like a long waterway or street, 
 lined by suburban villas. May did not much 
 like the extent to which the islands had been 
 trinnnedand smoothed out of the shaggy in- 
 dividuality of their primitive state; and 
 Hugh and Flora emphatically agreed with 
 lier, in preferring the comparative wildness 
 of the Canadian channel, where the islands 
 still retain tliei'* wild sylvan charm. 
 
 They scanned with interest the great 
 caravanserai of Thousand Island Park, with 
 its streets luid avenues of tents and cottages 
 and crowds of tourists; and then, just as 
 they were leaving the little cluster of coun- 
 try houses at Round Island, a gentleman in 
 a light-gray suit, carrying a valise and over- 
 coat, came briskly on board, speedily recog- 
 nized by May as Mr. AVinthroi), who, com- 
 
noun the ?Uvcv to the ,$c«. 145 
 
 nit 
 ■itli 
 cres 
 
 un- 
 1 iu 
 
 •er- 
 
 )iii- 
 
 ing up to greet the party, (Icclaicd liiinself 
 bound for Suiiiacli Lodge. It was curious, 
 May thought, how he seemed to have a 
 faculty for joming them at the most op[)or- 
 tune moments, and she wondered much 
 whether he had any private means of trac- 
 ing tlie movements of the party. On tliis 
 occasion, Kate, at all events, took his ap- 
 pearance with a coolness in keeping with 
 tlie nonchalance of his manner. In fact. 
 Flora declared privately to Mny that they 
 were both " refreshingly cool for a warm 
 day," a remark which May thought a trifle 
 heartless, considering that this addition to 
 the party must be a " thorn in the flesh " to 
 her brother. However, he betrayed no visi- 
 ble annoyance, but talked very pleasantly 
 with Mr. Winthrop, all the way home, dis- 
 cussing politics, British and American and 
 Canadian, including the" Behring Sea" dif- 
 ficulty, which last they had not settled, even 
 when they had arrived at Sumach Lodge, 
 and the discussion w^as finally terminated 
 by the ringing of the tea-bell. 
 
 After tea, such of the party as were not 
 tired out by the long day's outing, dispersed 
 
 in various directions to enjoy the cool air 
 10 
 
146 jou'tt the JUvct to the Jlea. 
 
 luid Uk; niooiiliglit oh tliu river. Mr. Win- 
 tlu't)]) jiiicl Kate hud inysterioiisly disap- 
 peared, and so liad one ot" tlie slcitls. Ilugli 
 Maenab, who had become qniie expert at 
 mannging a eanoe, asked liis sister and May 
 to let him paddle them both as far as tlie 
 favorite nook nh'cady referred to, and l)otli 
 willingly agreed. IJut Flora, jnst at start- 
 ing, was elainuMl by one of the boys, Avho 
 was lier special slave, and not liking to dis- 
 ap[)onit him, she good-naturedly consented 
 to go in ///■>• boat instead. Flora and her 
 cavalier followed in the wake of some of the 
 other young people, and her fresh Scotch 
 voice was soon heard warbling her favorite 
 refrain : — 
 
 ■ ■(i 
 
 
 " And carry the lad that was born to be king 
 Over the hills to Skyo ! " 
 
 " That sounds out of place here^ some- 
 how," said Hugh. "This new world has 
 nothing to do with our old Jacol)ite strug- 
 gles. It ought to be one of those pretty 
 French Canadian airs, at least." And he 
 hummed " La Claire Fontahie^^ which had 
 greatly taken his fancy, with its pretty 
 chorus, — 
 
5ou'u the Jlivcr to the .!ica. 
 
 147 
 
 " //// (I lonrjti'inpH qn Jc t'ttiiuG 
 
 which certiiiiily seemed iniich more in har- 
 mony with the ex(inisiLe summer evenin;^ 
 and the light, ghding motion of the little 
 canoe, us it hounded foi'Wiird so noiselessly 
 under the Jishen paddle, over the purple and 
 crimson tide. 
 
 Neither seemed disposed to talk. The 
 beauty of the evening-, for one thing, was 
 too al)Sorl)ing to encourage nuich conversa- 
 tion. Moreover, INIay was still worrying a 
 liltleoverthethree-corneredprohleniof Kate 
 ami Hugh and 3Ir. Winthrop, ami thought 
 that Hugh's uKditations were possibly wan- 
 dering in a somewhat similar din lion. 
 They entered the "Lonely IJay " very quietly, 
 as was their wont. The spot seemed like a 
 church, in which loud tones or careless 
 words were a desecration. As the canoe 
 glided noiselessly into the deep shadow of 
 the high crags, they l)oth became aware 
 that another boat had come in before them, 
 and was lying motionless in the inmost re- 
 cess of the little basin. The occupants 
 were unconscious of any intrusion on their 
 solitude, and, as Hugh paused, irresolute 
 
148 |j0att the giitt to the jlea. 
 
 whether to proceed or not, a few low spoken 
 words reached their ears hi JNIr. Wiiilhr()[)\s 
 very distinct eininciation — words that both 
 thought were : " Then I need not altogether 
 despair ! " 
 
 May colored to the very roots of her hair, 
 feeling by proxy the "pang" which she be- 
 lieved Hugh must experience, as he silently 
 but swiftly rowed away, lest they should 
 involuntarily hear any more of so very 
 confidential a conversation. Whether the 
 other pair heard the sound of the light dip 
 of the retreating paddle they could not tell ; 
 and not a word was exchanged between 
 them concerning the unexpected rencontre^ 
 both feeling the subject too delicate to 
 touch. 
 
 But lis they were rowing slowly home- 
 ward, by a circuitous route, the other boat 
 overtook thuni, and they rowed side by side 
 for the remainder of the way, IMr. Winthrop 
 evidently exerting himself to talk, while 
 Kate renijiined unusually silent. The moon 
 — rather more than half full, flooded the air 
 and river with her silvery light; and on one 
 side of them lay a glittering expanse, stud- 
 ded with the dark silhouettes of islands. 
 
goa'tt the ^xxii' to the ^eu. 149 
 
 Mr. Winthi'op quoted some of the well- 
 known lines from the Merchant of Ven- 
 ice, "On such II night," etc., Hugh heli)ing 
 him out when he halted for a line. And 
 then Kate asked Hugh wlietlier he could 
 not recite something appropriate to the 
 scene. 
 
 " Original, if possible ; if not, then quoted. 
 And we won't even ask you whether it is 
 original, or not," she added. "You know, 
 we can't hear the quotation marks." 
 
 "On that condition, 1 will," jsaid Hugh, 
 and, after a few moments' thougiit, iie be- 
 gan :— 
 
 " Never a ripple on all the river 
 
 As it lies like a mirror beneath the moon, 
 Only the shadows tremble and quiver, 
 
 With the lialmy breath of a ni<);ht in Jnne ; 
 All (lark and silont, each shadowy island 
 
 Like a silhouette lies on the siivei' ground, 
 While, just above us, a rocky hi{.!;hland 
 Towers grim and dusk, with its pine trees 
 crowned. 
 
 Never a sound, save the oar's soft splashing, 
 As the boat drifts idly the shore along. 
 
 And the arrowy fireflies, silently flashing, 
 Gleam, living diamonds, the woods among I 
 
Ill > 
 
 150 §0xmt the ^ivtx to the ^tn. 
 
 And thp night-hawk darts o'er the bay's broad 
 bosom, 
 And the loon's laugh breaks on the midnight 
 calm, 
 And the luscious breath of the wild vine's blos- 
 som, 
 Wafts from the rocks, like a tide of balm ! 
 
 Drifting, why cannot we drift forever 
 
 Let all the world and its worries go ! — 
 Let us Iloat and float on the flowing river, 
 
 Wliitlier, — we neither care nor know ; — 
 Dreaming a dream, might we ne'er awaken ! 
 
 There's joy enough in this passive bliss ; 
 The wrestling crowd and its cares forsaken 
 
 Was ever Nivrana more blest than this ? 
 
 Nay ! but our hearts are forever lifting 
 
 The screen of the present, — however fair, — 
 Not long, not long, may we go on drifting, — 
 
 Not long enjoy surcease from care ! 
 Ours is a nobler task and guerdon 
 
 TI\an aimless, drifting, however blest ; 
 Only the heart that can bear the burden 
 
 Can share the joy of the victor's rest I " 
 
 " Well, T appreciate the pooti'v, of course," 
 said I\[r. Winthi-op, when Kate had duly 
 thanked tlie reciter, "but, I am glad t/iai 
 did not come from me ! We Americans are 
 always geltino- tlie credit of l)eing loo rest- 
 less for repose, — for enjoying- anything in a 
 
gawu the JKivcv to the ^ea. 151 
 
 leisurely manner. But it seems there are 
 other people who, like Faust, cannot say to 
 the present moment, ' Stay, thou art fair ! ' " 
 "I'm afraid that's a trait of the age," 
 replied Ilugli. " liut I rather think it is 
 nobler, on the wliole, to be always ' pressing 
 on to the things that are before.' " 
 
 '' We look before and after 
 And pine for what is not ! " 
 
 quoted Mr. Winthrop — " even in the beauty 
 of this exquisite night." 
 
 And after that no words were spoken till 
 the two canoes grated, almost at the same 
 moment, on tiie pebbly beach. 
 
 The sojourn at Sumach Lodge was now 
 nearly at an end, for our party had still far 
 to go, and much to see. The next day was 
 to be devoted to an excursion in the steam- 
 yacht to a bit of very pict.iresque scenery 
 some few miles down the main shore of 
 the river — "a miniature Saguenay," as Mr. 
 Leslie described it, and, at the same time, 
 they w^ere to get a glimpse of the Canoe 
 Camp which had been just opened, and 
 which was to have an illumination in the 
 evening that they all wanted to see. 
 
vmu 
 
 I 
 
 II i i 
 
 'li! 
 
 152 Joun i\\t %\xvtx to t\\t <^a. 
 
 They started early next iiiovning for Hal- 
 stead Bay, where the picturesque little 
 " rift " or canon began. The Oneida carried 
 thein swiftly down the few miles of river, 
 till within the curve of the bay which was 
 hemmed in by high wooded hills, where 
 they disembarked from the yacht, in which 
 they could not proceed much further, and 
 had recourse to the skiffs which they had 
 brought in tow. As they rowed farther u}), 
 the hills drew nearer to the bay or creek 
 until they became almost sheer precipices, 
 rising up, weather-worn and splintered, 
 from the narrowing channel, which ^^ as full 
 of reeds and water plants and fleets of 
 water-lilies, from which they supplied 
 themselves to their hearts' content. Here 
 and there the stern rugged crags were fes- 
 tooned with trailing plants and delicate 
 harebells, in what May declared were nat- 
 ural hanging baskets. Cranes and water- 
 hens flew up from the tall sedges, and Kate 
 pointed out to Mr. Winthrop a fine loon 
 diving for his food. " Very likely you will 
 hear him laugh, by and by," — said Kate, for 
 he had been expressing some curiosity as to 
 the loon's laugh in the verses Hugh had re- 
 
Joint the ^ivcv to the ^tix. 153 
 
 cited. " We often hear its ' hiuf^h ' at Su- 
 mach Lodge," she said, " and very weird it 
 sounds iit night. 1 don't know wlietlier its 
 elfin 'langir or its cry seems tlie most un- 
 carniy. It has interested Ilugli so nmeli, 
 and so lias tlieohl legend of Clote- scarp and 
 the loon." 
 
 And as Mr. \yinthrop had never heard 
 this legend, Ilugh told the Indian story, 
 how Clote-scari), or (xlooscap — the Mic- 
 mac Hiawatha, had at length, wearied 
 with the cruelty and wickedness of man 
 and the si'vaq-e warfare of the brute crea- 
 tion, depart id from the land nntil the reign 
 of peace should he re-establislicd; and that 
 the loon awaits his return, and laments his 
 absence in the melancholy cry which it ut- 
 ters from time to time. " Curious," he 
 added, "how that idea of the Deliverer, 
 tem[)()rarily departed, seems to have taken 
 root in all lands, from Arthur and Harbii- 
 roosa to Hiawatha and Clote-scarp. J^ut 
 what a magniilcent clitt' that is!" for now 
 they had nearly reached the head of the lit- 
 tle cano)!^ and the higher bluffs seemed to 
 grow grander and more picturesc^ue as the 
 channel narrowed. 
 
Mfi , 
 
 \ t 
 
 If!! 
 
 Ill 
 
 I 
 
 il 
 i ii 
 II 
 il 
 
 1 
 
 154 §om\ tHc llivcv to the ^ea. 
 
 "It is really a very good reduction of the 
 Saguenay," said Mr. Wiiithrop, "and the 
 scale of j)ro[)ortion is vei'y well carried out. 
 That, for instance, would do very well for a 
 miniature Cape Eternity, ikit it is as well 
 to see t/ii'n ftrxtf'' 
 
 At the head of the canon the crags closed 
 up, leaving only a narrow channel, through 
 which !i tiny stream struggled through the 
 great rugged boulders in a miniature cas- 
 cade. They all landed and amused them- 
 selves for some time in scrambling about 
 among the rocks, trying to thread the course 
 of the streamlet, or climbing the neighbor- 
 ing hill, from which some of the young 
 men, including Hugh and Mr. Winthrop, 
 reported a magnificent view. The less am- 
 bitious of the party strolled about at the 
 lower level, plucking raspberries which grew 
 in great abundance among the rocks, while 
 Flora tried to sketch roughly the charming 
 view from the high ground above the little 
 waterfall. Too soon, as it seemed, the 
 order was given to re-embark and descend 
 the canon to the bay, where the steam- 
 yacht had been left, and where their lunch 
 was also awaiting them. Mrs. Leslie with 
 
goivu the ?livcv to the ^ea. 155 
 
 ittle 
 the 
 ceiul 
 eaiu- 
 uncli 
 with 
 
 Mrs. Sfindfnrd and one or two ladies who had 
 visited the phiee before, had remained near 
 the steam-yacht, and when the party in the 
 skitt's returned, — a little hot and very hun- 
 gry, — they found a most attractive-looking 
 luncheon, with fresh fruit, iced milk and 
 various other luxuries most tempting to 
 tired sight-seers on a warm day, spread on 
 a charming point, with glimpses of still 
 waters and beds of snowy water lilies on 
 both sides of its wooded slope. 
 
 After thoroughly enjoying their luncheon, 
 they all had a long rest under the softly 
 waving trees, through which a light breeze 
 was whispering, cooling the noontide he;it 
 of the August day. Then they re-embarked 
 on the steam-yacht and directed tlieir 
 course across the river towards the (Mnoe 
 Camp, which was pitched on a picturesque 
 island most admirably adapted for its pur- 
 poses. They soon encountered token of its 
 presence, in the light canoes which dnrted 
 gracefully hither and thitlier, some of them 
 winged by the daintiest little snowy sails, 
 looking like white butterflies as they danced 
 over the sparkling blue waves ripi)led by 
 the freshenins: afternoon breeze. The steam 
 
156 Joan the givcf U the <^a. 
 
 in 
 
 launch soon glided up to the lunding pier, 
 in a sheltered bay overlooked by charming 
 wooded slo[)es, on which gleamed the white 
 tents which dotted the i.sland. It abounded 
 in pretty sheltered coves, each of which 
 formed the liarbor for a little fleet of canoes 
 belonging to some particular club— all nearly 
 uniform in pattern. Some of the clul)s used 
 " IJob lioy " canoes, which were marvels of 
 beauty, with their finely polished wood, and 
 paddles, and luxurious silver mountings. 
 Each club had its tents near its harbor, and 
 a hii'ge marquee did duty as a connnon 
 dining-hall. The lady members of the asso- 
 ciation had their own particular little set- 
 tlement, wliich was called the "Squaw's 
 Point." Cam[) fires were lighted here aii-l 
 (here, carrying out the primitive Indi:;!! 
 character of the whole. The party liiid 
 just time for a hasty stroll about the island 
 before the beginning of the races, whicii 
 they had the best opportunity of witnessing 
 from their steiim-yacht, carrying them fiom 
 point to point, in order to extend their 
 view at will. 
 
 Some of the races were so-called "hurdle 
 races," in which the racer went through a 
 
Joan the i^iict to the ^ea. if)! 
 
 variety of perforinjiiices, Hwiinining- a few 
 liuiidred yards, then getting into liis canoe, 
 paddling it for a certain distance, and in re- 
 turning, u[)setting it, rigliting it again and 
 [)addling to shore. These last nianteuvres 
 caused great fun and excitement, 'i'he 
 [)arty in tlie steam lainicli had a number of 
 acquaintances at the camp, and Kate was 
 soon discovered by various youths in 
 parti-colored flannels, wlio gathered around 
 her for a chat in the intervals of tlie races; 
 Hugh being eager to hear all he could con- 
 cerning the art of paddling, which he had 
 been practising on every available o])por- 
 tmiity during his stay among the islands. 
 The afternoon flew swiftly by, and, Avhen 
 tea-time came, the yacht party had invita- 
 tions to tea hi several tents, and distributed 
 themselves accordingly. After tea, a visit- 
 ing band discoursed nuisic as the evening 
 shades grew on ; and then came the great 
 sight of the evening. 
 
 Suddenly the clusters of tents gleamed 
 out like brilliant constellations amid the 
 (lark foliage, while the canoes, which had 
 been formed into a long snake-like coil 
 were decked from stem to stern with flam- 
 
158 gown the givft to the ^ca. 
 
 iilM 
 
 beaux and Chinese lanterns, some of these 
 being curiously arranged so as to imitate 
 the forms of animals. The swan was the 
 favorite design, and the most easily man- 
 aged, but there were elepliants, camels and 
 other still more curious imitations. At 
 short intervals, rockets and Homan candles 
 went up with a rush and roar, and some 
 Greek fire on the beach threw a rich roseate 
 light over the wonderful scene. The steam- 
 yacht darted about hither and thither, the 
 better to command the whole view. Hugh 
 and Flora were enchanted, and declared 
 that they could almost imagine themselves 
 in a gondola in Venice, so brilliant was the 
 effect of the procession of illuminated 
 boats, and the cordon of lights which 
 studded the sombre background of the 
 island. As the fiery serpent began to coil 
 and uncoil itself on the dark river, while the 
 rockets sparkled against the sky, and the 
 moon — partially obscured — threw fitful 
 gleams between slow-moving clouds upon 
 the distant islands, it seemed more like a 
 transformation scene on the stage than one 
 of actual reality, the contrast of the blaze 
 of artificial light with the calm serenity 
 
Jloivu the Ww'w to the ^oa. 
 
 159 
 
 of the inoonbeiiiiis being singuhirly strik- 
 ing. 
 
 l>ut our friends had hud ii long day of it, 
 and were beginning to feel its fatiguing 
 effects, so that no one felt inclined to object 
 when Mr. Leslie gave the order for depart- 
 ing, and, in a few niiiuites, tiiey found them- 
 selves far away from the brilliant scene, 
 steaming quietly thr(nigh lonely channels 
 where the moonlit waves l)roke softly on 
 l)ebbly shores, under dark overhanging 
 boughs of hemlock and pine, 
 
 May awoke next morning with the regret- 
 ful thought that it was her last dav at 
 Sumach Lodge. It was mainly devoted to 
 farewell visits to all the favorite haunts 
 which would remain graven on her mind— 
 at least for years to come. In the afternoon 
 Mr. Winthrop announced that he must go 
 to Gananoqne in order to telegraph to New 
 York, for he had been recently talking — to 
 May's inward consternation — of joining 
 their party on the trip to the Saguenay. 
 She felt sure it would spoil Hugh's pleas- 
 ure, at any rate. Ihit Kate showed no de- 
 sire to veto the plau; on the contrary, May 
 had misgivings that her cousin had no ob- 
 
Kio Joivu the l^ufv to the ^ca. 
 
 
 jectinn to it. Tlieir ^ood-iuitiircd liost at 
 (uux; ordered the sleain-yaeht for JMr. Wiii- 
 tlirop, and a few of the guests Avilliiiu,-ly 
 aceoin[)aiiied thein, iiieliidhi^ Fh)rii, avIio 
 lost no op[)orliniiLy of glidhig about h» that 
 delightful httle vessel, — Kate and iMiiy pre- 
 ferring not to lose an lionr of their now 
 short stay on the island. One of her youtli- 
 ful admirers, however, the youth who owned 
 the "butterfly sailboat," coaxed Kate to 
 take a last short sail with him in the invit- 
 ingly freshening breeze. No one noticed, 
 however, that the sky had gradually clouded 
 over and become grey instead of blue, 
 while, despite the breeze, the air had grown 
 very sultry. Hugh noticed it at last from 
 the quiet nook where he sat reading, and 
 came slowly back towards the house, where 
 he found May reclining in a hammock on tlie 
 veranda, professedly reading, l)ut in reality 
 half asleep, while INIrs. Sandford, close by, 
 was complacently noddhig over her knitting. 
 " Where are all the rest of you ? " he in- 
 
 seems desert 
 
 quiri 
 
 u 
 
 place 
 
 » " 
 
 May explained that Plora had gone wiv 
 the party in the steam-yacht, while mosi, 
 of the boys had gone off with their boats to 
 
Jjoirn the %\\'tx io the feu. 
 
 Ifil 
 
 the otlier end of the islund for a swim, and 
 that Kate had "jioiie out with Dick Morris in 
 liis "butterfly sailboat." 
 
 "I hope tiiey haven't jo^one far," he said. 
 " We are goin;^* to have a treinen<h)us storm. 
 rU ;.;'o and si<^nal them ])aek." 
 
 May si)ranj;* out of her hammoc^k and 
 looked about her, while Mrs. Sandford got 
 into a Hurry of alarm at once. Certaiidy the 
 sky had a rather alarmini^ a[)pearance. A 
 threat black cloud had swe[)t down frou) the 
 southwest, flanked by another that seemed 
 to extend over the whole river in two j^'reat 
 curves orscollo])s of dark slate color, ed^^-ed 
 with a strange light bluish gray that had a 
 lurid and terrible etl'eet. The river, usually 
 so softly blue, had darkened in the distance 
 to an inky blackness, while somewhat nearer 
 it assumed an angry grey. As yet the 
 stretch of water in front of the island seemed 
 comparatively calm, but, two or three miles 
 a\A' ly, sails were flying at full speed before a 
 
 ong gale. The squall was evidently com- 
 
 up fast, and the " butterfly sailboat " was 
 
 oome distance out and would certainly feel it 
 
 very soon. The steam-yacht was swiftly ap- 
 
 proachinr the pier from a different direction. 
 
 11 
 
162 §om the Uivcr to the ^ea. 
 
 Hugh said not a word, Lut began to un- 
 moor the lightest of tlie only two skiffs that 
 lay at the landing, to which they had hur- 
 ried, while May watched the sailboat through 
 an opera-glass. 
 
 " The squall has caught it now ! " she said, 
 as Hugh was busy with the boat. "Oh, I'm 
 afraid it is upsetting ! " 
 
 " W/iatf^ exclaimed Hugh, anxiously 
 watching the little craft as the sail dipped 
 lower, and lower, and lower, and finally lay 
 flat on the waves. Hugh in the meantime 
 had hastily pulled off his boots and jumped 
 into the skiff', find now threw his watch into 
 IMay's hands, seized the oars and pushed out 
 in hot haste. Meantime the steam-yacht had 
 arrived at tlie pier, a little way off, and Mr. 
 Winthrop, coming up, took in the situation 
 at a glance. He almost snjitched the opera- 
 glass from May, looked through it, and then 
 rushed out on the landing-stage, from which 
 Hugh's boat was swiftly receding. 
 
 "Stop!" he shouted^ "and let me go, 
 too ! " The voice scarcely seemed like IVIr. 
 Winthrop's usunlly suave and even tones. 
 It had a ring not only of anxiety, but of 
 passion and command. But it had no effect 
 
Sm\t the Sim to the Ji ea. 163 
 
 cu 
 
 Mr. 
 lones. 
 
 lit of 
 jSect 
 
 on Hugh. He only shook his head as he 
 called out, " No time to delay ! " and rowed 
 on, at a pace that frightened May, into the 
 teeth of the waves, which were now dashing 
 themselves into snowy wreaths of foam, 
 while the trees were lashing their branches 
 about, as if in agony. Meantime she had 
 caught up the opera-glass which Mr. Win- 
 throp had thrown down, and could see that 
 the boat had partially righted itself, and 
 that Kate and her young cavalier were 
 chnging to its side, helplessly drifting be- 
 fore the wind. Mrs. Sandford, who had 
 now reached the landing, stood crying and 
 wringing her hands in a way that intensi- 
 fied May's own terror. 
 
 Meantime Mr. Winthrop had hurriedly 
 looked round for the only skitf left, which 
 was a heavy and awkward one, but seldom 
 used. He did not hesitate, however, but 
 jumped in and made what speed he could 
 towards the craft in distress, towards which 
 Hugh by this time was half-way out. May 
 breathlessly watched him as he rapidly cov- 
 ered the remaining distance. Then she could 
 see him help Kate from her perilous hold into 
 the skitf, and the young man into the sail- 
 
'1 
 
 m li ii! i 
 
 164 §m\x the ^ivev t^ the ^ea. 
 
 boat, which the efforts of the two men 
 had soon righted, after which Hugh rapidly 
 rowed back, leaving to poor Mr. Winthrop, 
 who was following, the comparatively unin- 
 teresting task of picking up the floating oars 
 and other traps which had been cast adrift 
 in the upset, and of towing the unlucky 
 mariner and his boat back to the island. 
 
 As all the boys had by this time returned, 
 half a dozen hands were outstretched to 
 draw the skiff ashore and help out the pale 
 but laughing Kate, with her dripping gar- 
 ments clinging about her feet. Mrs. Leslie 
 took possession of her at once, and she and 
 Mrs. Sandford hurried her up to the house 
 to be put to Ixxl and dosed with hot 
 brandy and every other restorative that her 
 ingenuity could devise, while Hugh also 
 came in for a large share of her anxiety, as 
 well as of her pharmacopeia. 
 
 Meantime poor Dick Morris had man- 
 aged, with Mr. Winthrop's assistance, to 
 get his water-logged boat back to shore, 
 somewhat crestfallen as well as wet, under 
 the heavy downpour of rain which followed 
 the squall. Dick came in for his share of 
 the coddUug, but Mr. Winthrop became m- 
 
 l)'l 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
gomx the 'iVmv to the ^ou 165 
 
 as 
 
 iore, 
 lider 
 )wed 
 
 visible for an lioiu or two, and it was only- 
 after all were gathered lound the tea- 
 table that he reappeared, kxjking [)aler and 
 graver than they had ever yet seen him. 
 Kate was, of course, still under orders to re- 
 main in bed for the rest of the evening, but 
 Hugh disclaimed any need for such precau- 
 tions, and had evidently by no means lost 
 his appetite, at least, lie greeted Mr. Win- 
 throp pleasantly, as usual, saying a[)oIoget- 
 ically : " I was sorry I couldn't wait for 
 you, Winthrop, but I saw there was no 
 time to be lost." 
 
 " Oh, it was of no consequence ; you were 
 quite right," he replied coolly, but very 
 curtly, and May inwardly wondered wliy it 
 was that people always said things were *' of 
 no consequence," just when they evidently 
 cared most. 
 
 The incident seemed to have cast a 
 damper — figuratively as well as literally — 
 over the last evening among the islands. 
 The squall had gone down as rapidly as it 
 had come up, and the rain cleared off by 
 degrees ; but the sunset cast oidy a few 
 golden gleams through the parting clouds, 
 and the moonlight was fitful and disap- 
 
!!!, 
 
 i'ili'i!"!! 
 
 iM^W 
 
 166 gown the %\m U the ^m. 
 
 pointing ; and it seemed to INEay that the 
 sadness of tlie parting colored the external 
 scene as well as lier own feelings. 
 
 It had been arranged that the steam 
 launch should take them all across to Clay- 
 ton, to catch the river steamboat there 
 about seven a. m., thus necessitating a very 
 early start. It was an exquisite August 
 morning, very like the first one after their 
 arrival, but there was little time to enjoy 
 its charming pictures. An early breakfast 
 was hurried over by the time the little 
 yacht blew her whistle for departure, and, 
 before any one could realize that the 
 moment for departure had come, the travel- 
 lers had passed through an avalanche of 
 good-byes, and were steaming swiftly away 
 from the enchanted island, as May then 
 thought it, and will always continue to 
 dream of it hereafter. 
 
 Kate treated Mr. Winthrop very coolly 
 during the sail across, as May observed, and 
 this inconsistent young woman began forth- 
 with to feel sorry for him, specially when 
 he announced, with apparent indifference, 
 that he should have to say good-bye to 
 them all at Clayton, as he feared, from the 
 
gowtt the 'S^xvtv t0 tlie ^i?a. 167 
 
 news he had received the previous day, thiit 
 he should not l)e able to rejoin them at 
 Quebec, as he had ho[)ed to do. May 
 thought that Kate looked somewhat 
 startled, but she said little, and they parted 
 with cool civility. And as they left him 
 behind, with a sense of something unsatis- 
 factory about it, Mr. Winthrop seemed to 
 have left more of a blank in the little party 
 than might have been expected from his 
 short stay among them. Hugh missed his 
 clear-cut criticism and incisive talk. May 
 felt as if she ought to be glad that this 
 rival of Hugh's — as she regarded him — 
 was out of the way, and yet she was con- 
 scious of a feeling of regret that surprised 
 herself. For, after all, undoubtedly Mv. 
 Winthrop had been very pleasant and cour- 
 teous, and it certainly was not his fault tliat 
 he had not had the honor of rescuing Kate. 
 And now they were fairly embarked on 
 the steamer, which turned out to be their 
 old friend, the Corsican^ and were soon 
 rapidly losing sight of the charming " Ad- 
 miralty Group," — the fairy-land amid which 
 she had, for the past ten days, enjoyed so 
 delightful a resting-place. 
 
I,: 1 
 
 1G8 gown the |livcv u the ^m. 
 
 liii' 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE RIVER OP IIOCHELAGA.. 
 
 It was about three hours before the Cor- 
 sican emerged from the last labyrinth of 
 foliage-clad, pine-crested islands, and cjime 
 in sight of the little town of Brock ville. 
 The banks of the river, as they approached, 
 varying from a high table-land to a low, 
 rocky shore, were lined with summer cot- 
 tages, where holiday makers were evidently 
 enjoying themselves with a prodigality of 
 hunting and an ample supply of skiffs. 
 Here and there, they came upon a little flo- 
 tilla of boats, setting out for an all-day ex- 
 cursion, whose passengers waved their hats 
 and cheered, as if they had been the first In- 
 dians who beheld the white man's " winged 
 canoes." A ferry boat was busily plying 
 up and down, embarking and disembarking 
 passengers at the little piers that fringed 
 the shore, and an air of holiday brightness 
 
§0m the giver to the ^ea. 169 
 
 inged 
 Itness 
 
 seemed to pervade the scene. There was a 
 short stoppage at Brockville, and then the 
 Corsicciit was off again, and the hist of the 
 " Thousand Islands " were soon left far be- 
 hind. 
 
 It was a still, soft, dreamy August day, 
 and the sail down the calm, broad stretch 
 succeeding was almost sleepy in its tranquil- 
 lity. Prescott and its neighboring windmill 
 elicited some historic reminiscences from 
 Mrs. Sandford concerning tlie time when 
 poor rash Von Schultz held his extempo- 
 rized fortress against an unequal force, only 
 to be overpowered at last, and to expiate his 
 reckless credulity on a scaffold at Fort 
 llemy, which they had so recently seen. 
 
 Then there were the Galojys Rapids, and 
 a little later the smiiU TJapid Du Plat, 
 and then the historic associations of Cln-ys- 
 ler's Farm. Afterwards the steamer began 
 to heave and plunge as the snowy crests of 
 the great white coursers of tlie Lo?ff/ ^Sunlt 
 gleamed before them, rising like ocean 
 breakers to meet the gallant vessel, which 
 plunged in upon them with jilmost con- 
 scious pride, and rode triumplianlly over 
 them witli an exultant swaying movement, 
 
170 §mti the Oliver U the #eH» 
 
 iiPil: 
 
 pii 
 
 more like the bounding of a spirited steed 
 than of a pL^ce of inanimate matter. Hugh 
 was (leUghted beyond expression, and so 
 were May and Flora. It was even grander 
 than either had anticipated, and both 
 breathed a deep sigh of regret when the 
 last buoyant leap was over, and the steamer 
 floated, with her ordinary motion, into the 
 calm expanse in front of the town of Corn- 
 wall. And now there were blue hills to be 
 seen on the horizon to their right, as they 
 passed down the quiet sweep of river, with 
 a few green islands dotting the channel, on 
 which they could catch, here and there, 
 glimpses of summer cottages and camping 
 parties that reminded them of the " Thou- 
 sand Islands," though with a considerable 
 difference, for here was nothing like the 
 same scope for boating or variety of scenery 
 as in that enchanted region. Then there 
 was the long, sleepy afternoon sail across 
 the wide Lake St. Francis, during which 
 Mrs. Sandford retired to her stateroom to 
 make up for her lost morning slumber, and 
 the three girls drowsed over the books they 
 were professing to read. May had brought 
 out her cherished copy of " The Chance Ac- 
 
§m\x the %xva to the ^eu. 171 
 
 quaintance," which she had with her, hut had 
 kept ill reserve till now, that she ini^ht re- 
 vive her recollections of its fascinatin*;- i)ict- 
 ures, and enjoy in advance the giey old 
 city, which she had already seen so often 
 in imaj^ination ; and was now, at length, to 
 behold with her bodily eyes. As she 
 dropped the book at last, overcome by the 
 sleepy influence of the afteri^oon, Hugh 
 took it up, and had become much interested 
 in its fascinating pages, when the whistle of 
 the steamer, on arriving at Coteau Du Lac, 
 startled the girls out of their nap, and 
 woke them up, laughing over the oblivion 
 which had swallowed up the last two hours. 
 The little French village of " The Coteau," 
 with its long pier, and the little brown 
 houses and big church, gave the travellers a 
 first glimpse hito French Canada, quite in 
 keeping with the spirit of the little book ; 
 and the succeeding scenery, growing every 
 moment more picturesque, was to May 
 idealized with a touch of poetry reflected 
 from Mr. Tlowells' charming little romance. 
 After leaving the Coteau village, they 
 passed the short Coteau Rapids, and then 
 the drowsy old village of Beauharnois, with 
 
172 Jowtt the Jlivct ta the ^ti\. 
 
 liiii:!:!' 
 
 a pastoral laiulsca[)o of jjfici(3n niilands and 
 bowery orchards behind it, — alter whieh 
 tiiey saw luifore tlieni, bencsath a riehly 
 wooded shore, a f^litteriufr streteli of inter- 
 woven blu(; and silver. And soon tlie 
 steamer beg'an to pitcli lierself forward, as 
 she was swiftly hurried down the rapid in- 
 cline, i)ast cedar-covcned points and islets, — 
 so swiftly that it seemed as if they could 
 scarcely take in the striking beauty of the 
 scene till it had been left behind and the 
 rapid was past. And thus in (piick suc- 
 cession they passed " The Cascades " witii 
 its white breakers glitterhif? in the stui, ;uid 
 the " Split Uock " with its great black 
 jagged boulders, past which tlu^y flew like a 
 flash ; after which, as the afternoon sunshine 
 began to slant softly on the water, they 
 glided out on the great placid I'eacli of Lake 
 St. Louis. The distant blue range of thi; 
 Adirondacks had remained on their right 
 for a considerable portion of their way, but 
 now, before them, rose the soft, cloud-like 
 vision, — apparently triple in its conforma- 
 tion, which Kate announced was Cartier's 
 "Mont Royal," at the feet of which lay the 
 city of Montreal. It held their eyes with a 
 
gawtt the Jllvcr to the ^ca. 173 
 
 livid 
 
 •lily 
 
 ilcr- 
 
 the 
 
 I, us 
 
 I in- 
 
 ts,- 
 
 !OUl<l 
 
 i the 
 I the 
 
 S\K5- 
 
 wilh 
 
 h '^^^^^ 
 ibliick 
 
 llikc a 
 
 sbiiH^ 
 
 Uu\Y 
 ){ tlu' 
 
 spoil of fiisciniition as they crossed the lake, 
 ^rowin^ more and more distinct until they 
 coidd distinguish its various divisions and 
 tiie masses of woodland that clothed it, and 
 even tiie larfj;;e huihlinj^s which here and 
 tiiere p^leamed out from its darker mass. 
 And now tiiey were passin**; tlie Indian vil- 
 liiu^e of Caughnawaj^a, with its long line of 
 nule French-looiving" houses fringing the 
 sliore, while on their left lay Lachine, with 
 tlie glorious green mountain — a mass of ver- 
 dure from top to ])ott()m, rising behind the 
 straggling white village, flanked by its 
 grey stone church and J*reshi/tcre^ while the 
 western sun shed a liood of golden glory 
 over the shining lake. Then camo the de- 
 scent of the Lachine llapids, the most ex- 
 citing of all, and the three travellers who 
 saw it for the first time, held their l)reath as 
 the steamer rushed on, within a hair-breadth, 
 as it seemed, of striking the jagged locks 
 that raised their rough black heads iil)ove 
 tlie white breakers. There was not the mass 
 and the thunder of water of the Long Sault, 
 nor the silvery beauty and rush of the Ce- 
 (l;irs and Cascades, but the black rocks and 
 ledges that seemed lying in wait, like black 
 

 i 
 
 174 JIawtt the J{ivct to the ^ea. 
 
 monsters, to crush the vessel ])etween their 
 cruel teeth, recalled to Hugh the old fal)lo 
 of Scylla and Chary 1x1 is. It was grandly ex- 
 citing to see the steamer, like a living thing, 
 dart shuddering hy them, and rush at head- 
 long speed through thehoiling surges, witii 
 the long wooded stretch of Nun's Island 
 nestling, as it seemed, amid the tossing 
 waves, while the long spans of the Lachine 
 and Victoria bridges loomed up in front of 
 them, and the bold mountain summits of 
 Belceil and Boucherville arjsumed exqui- 
 site violet hues under the magic touch of 
 the rapidly setting sun, which also lighted 
 up the massive city before them. There was 
 hardly time to take in the full beauty of tlie 
 coup iVaeil before the steamer was under 
 Victoria Bridge, the height of which they 
 could not realize till they saw that the tall 
 masts could pass under it without being 
 lowered. Presently they were in the Canal 
 Basin, amid what seemed a forest of 
 masts and shipping, and May, to her de- 
 light, could distinguish the great black hulls 
 of some ocean steamers lying in port. The 
 long lines of massive grey store-houses and 
 docks also much impressed her unaccus- 
 
g0urn the Oliver io the ijlea. 175 
 
 il)le 
 ex- 
 
 CiUl- 
 
 willi 
 ,liuul 
 
 ahine 
 
 lit of 
 
 its of 
 
 3X(iui- 
 
 ,ch of 
 
 o-htcd 
 
 ro wiis 
 of the 
 uiuler 
 they 
 le tiill 
 
 beins 
 Canal 
 
 est of 
 ler tle- 
 k bulls 
 The 
 ies and 
 laccus- 
 
 toined eye ; but these were soon left behind 
 as tliey drove rapidly up to the Windsor 
 Hotel, where they were to spend the next 
 day. They were all hungry enough, after 
 their long afternoon in the open air, to en- 
 joy heartily the late dinner in the spacious 
 dining-room of the Windsor, witli its glit- 
 tering lights, its long rows of tables and 
 lively groups of guests. After dinner, the 
 girls wandered through the long corridors 
 and sumptuous drawing-rooms, till May, at 
 least, who had never been in so large a hotel 
 hi her life, was quite bewildered by all the 
 grandeur. Then they sat on a balcony look- 
 ing out on the long twinkling ranks of 
 electric lights, contrasting with the silvery 
 radiance of the moonlight, while Kate de- 
 scribed to them vividly the glories of a win- 
 ter carnival she had seen, and the pure 
 white, translucent beauty of the wondrous 
 Ice Palace which had silently risen in the 
 Square before them, and had afterwards, as 
 it seemed, dissolved like a dreiim, under 
 the gentle touch of approaching spring. 
 
 Next morning they were all assembled at 
 breakfast so early that they had the dining- 
 hall pretty much to themselves. A carriage 
 
 •«, 
 
1^ 
 
 176 Doa'tt the %Xivct tc the jifju 
 
 bad l)een ordered for nine o'clock, as they 
 did n( L wish to lose any of the bright niorn- 
 ing', and they drove for some hours — first, 
 through tlie old-fashioned French streets, 
 past Notre Dame and the old diray Nun- 
 nery and the J>onsecours market, and the 
 point where the first settlement of Ville 
 Marie was inaugurated, as Parkman has so 
 gr«i])hically dereribed it. They looked at 
 the old IJonseeours church, which recalled 
 to Hugh and Flora similar (tld churches in 
 Normandy, then drove up St. Denis street, 
 past our Lady of Lourdes and the other 
 ecclesiastical buildings wiru;h cluster 
 around it, and linished their morning with 
 a glimpse at the pretty Art (Jjillery. 
 
 After luncheon they again set off', and drove 
 along Sherbrooke Street and through INIc- 
 Gill College gi'ounds, inspecting its groups of 
 fine buildings and through the bosky avenues 
 that run upward to "the mountain," and 
 then up to "the mountain" itself, enjoying the 
 magnificent views, from the Mountain i*ark 
 drive, of plain and river and distant hills, 
 quite as much as did Champlain, who could 
 not see, even in a vision, the stately city 
 that now leplacea the Indiau wigwams and 
 
 JS^- 
 
I!au*» the Viiicv to the '^cu. 
 
 177 
 
 ■sl, 
 its, 
 iin- 
 ibc 
 ille 
 s so 
 :l lit 
 illed 
 liS in 
 veet, 
 ;)tUer 
 uster 
 with 
 
 nmize-lields, which then l)oru tlie luune of 
 Ilocheluga. They asceiideil to the very 
 brow of the noble hill, tiikiii<;' in, us they 
 went, the wliole sweep of view, from the 
 winding course towards (Quebec on the left, 
 to the extreme right, where Miey could, catch 
 a glimpse of the Lachine Kapids, flashing 
 white hi the sunshine. 
 
 The day passed only too swiftly in this 
 ])lcasant sight-seeing, and they had to be [it 
 their hotel for a six o'clock dinner, in order 
 to be ready to leave for (Quebec at seven. 
 When at last they drove olf, Kate gave the 
 order, " to the Quebec boat!'' May heaved a 
 deep sigh of pleasure. It seemed as if her 
 cup was now indeed full. 
 
 They f*)und tli-i large double-decked 
 steamer filling up r.ipidly with parties of 
 tourists, some of them evidently — from tlicir 
 ])ilcs of luggage — CM route for MuiTJiy I Jay, 
 or Metis, or some other watering-pla;'e on 
 the Gulf. (Quebec was to them an every- 
 day affair, and they talked of it in a careless 
 and cursory fa.^hioii which to May, with her 
 enthusiastic veneration for its associations, 
 seemed little less than sacrilege. 
 
 As they passec' down the smooth winding 
 12 
 
178 Joivu the ^livcv U the <*a. 
 
 river, while the tvvili.^lit was falling, sil- 
 ver.d by the brightening moon, Flora be- 
 gan to talk of Mr. Winthrop, and to express 
 her regret at his inability to come on with 
 them. " It was too bad," she added, " that 
 Ilngh forestalled him, in going to Kate's 
 rescue, was it not ? I'm afraid lie will hardly 
 forgive Hugh in a hurry." 
 
 " But Hugh couldn't have waited for 
 him," said jMny. 
 
 " What are you two talking about ? " 
 asked Kate, whose ear had been caught by 
 the woi'iis, while talking to her aunt and 
 Hugh. 
 
 " Oh, M^e were only talking about poor 
 Mr. Winthrop," replied Flora, "and his 
 vexation with Hugh for getting before him 
 in rescuing you." 
 
 "Why should he have let Hugh get be- 
 fore him, then ? " she asked. 
 
 Hugh looked up with a half-puzzled air; 
 then it seemed as if something liad dawned 
 upon him — previously unthought of — and, 
 in a few exi)licit words, he explained the 
 whole situation, doing '^mple justice to Mr. 
 Winthrop. Kate listened attentively, and 
 though i;he was very quiet all the rest of 
 
§0uni the ^iicv to the %ea. 179 
 
 sU- 
 be- 
 
 vvitli 
 that 
 date's 
 ardly 
 
 d lor 
 
 out ? " 
 rlit by 
 Lit and 
 
 it poor 
 lid bi^ 
 >re bim 
 
 the eveniiiG^, May fancied that her face was 
 cleared of a shadow th.at had eh)iide(l it be- 
 fore. Slie toolc up Mi y's " Chance Ac- 
 (piaintance" and soon btcanie absorl)ed in 
 it, — not hiying it down till she had rushed 
 through it to the hist page. 
 
 " Wasn't it too bad," said Flora, " that 
 Kittv sent ctf Mr. Arbuton hke tliat ? " 
 
 "/ think it was too bad that Mr. Arbu- 
 ton didn't come hach\^'' retorted Kate. " If 
 L- • . 7 had done that^ a few days after, 
 K'l would have forgiven him and he 
 could have made a fresh st.trt." 
 
 " I feel sure that he did, in the end," as- 
 serted May, dogmatically. " 1 mean to 
 write a sequel to it some day ! " and then 
 they all went off to their bei'tiis. 
 
 The three girls were up almost by day- 
 light in the morning, watching the bright- 
 ening sunshine flush the red rock of Cap 
 I'ouge, and then the gradual unfolding of 
 tne river panoramas as they i)assed head- 
 land after headland, each opening a fair, 
 new vista beyond. Soon a glittering 
 church steeple gleamed out fiom the south- 
 ern shore, rising protectingly over white 
 villages nestling at their feet. Curving re- 
 
IHO 
 
 Doivn tUf i{iiH*v to the *ca. 
 
 ci'ssos of the woodt'd ])iink, outrmcd by oiui 
 loiijjf, |)i('tun\s(|ne l^'rcncli villii.!4t' slrccl, fol- 
 lowed the bend of (he shon; to the left. 
 ^'Tliut is Sillcry," said Kiite, in reply to 
 i\I;iy's ea^er eiuiuiries. 
 
 '*()h," sjiid May, "that is the piuHi 
 where tlu^ t)ld Jesuit residence was, — that 
 Kitty and INlr. Arbuton went to see." 
 
 After the i)oint e* Sillery was rounded, 
 thi're rose, at last, before (heir deli'^lited 
 eyes, the historic grey rock of (Juebee, with 
 its nuiral-erowned "auipai't and bastions, 
 and the houses and convents and j^reat 
 ehuri'hes of the old city i'liinbin<;- \i\) its 
 sides or raniblin;^- aloii>;' the plateau at its 
 foot. 
 
 "Oh, that is thc^ citadel!" exelainuMl 
 May, bnvit bless with (h'lii;-ht. 
 
 "And that is DulVeiin Terrace, with the 
 strai^'ht line of railing' and the little pavil- 
 ions," explained Kate, while the grim old 
 grey houses above them recalled to Hugh 
 and Flora memories of the old French 
 towns they had seeii abroad. As soori as 
 they could disengage themselves from the 
 bustle and confusion of ihe crowded quay, 
 Kate, who had declared that a caldche was 
 
^omx the Viiicv to the ^la. 
 
 isi 
 
 fol- 
 
 y ^^> 
 
 -ihiit 
 
 ii\> its 
 ill its 
 
 liiiuuHl 
 
 111 the 
 pavil- 
 
 \\\\\^\^ 
 French 
 
 o«)T'i a*' 
 \m\ the 
 (1 quay, 
 he was 
 
 was iis iiiucli "lh(; Ihiiij^" in (2n(!boc Jis a 
 ^•(tndola ill Veiiiec, Ki;.;n!ill(Ml lo two (uilh'hc 
 drivers, and the junior nieniluMS of tlie 
 parly woi'e soon iKM'eiuMi on their hi^li seats, 
 whih; Mrs. Saiidt'ord ;iiid the iii<;-^-i !;;•<; wiMit 
 ii|) more eoint'ortahly in ;i eoninionijhice 
 (';ih. As (hey raltie(l ov(!r tiie rou^h [lave- 
 lueiils and tiiroii.!j,'h the tortuous narrow 
 streets, whieiiiis Kate rtMuarivcrd to I^Mora 
 — ''an; just hki; Kuro|)(\ Tin sure," tluiy 
 drove up Mountain I lill, jjassini;' thi; spot 
 where Trescott i\\viv. us(;d to he of old, jind 
 eatehiiiL;' a j^limpse of tiu; IJasiliea, or eath- 
 edrid, oi rovt.e. Tiu^y (datten^d rapidly ov(!r 
 the liard paved stnu^ts of tlie ui)[)er town, 
 and drove, to May's (leli;;'ht, throu^-h a mas- 
 sive old ji";ite with deep, r<)un(l a relies, 
 whieh the sniiiin^- driver jinnouneed as 
 "Porte St. Jean." Just outsith' it tliey 
 ])asse(l a little Fnnieh mark(!t,-i)la('e, and 
 then, after passinu:,' oik; or two crowded 
 striv'ts, they w^eri* fmally set down in fi'ont 
 of a, tall, three-story stone house with a red 
 door. 
 
 The travelers wer- ., of eonrse, ex])ectod, 
 and reeeiviMl \\ith k.rid eourtesv hy tlu'ir 
 IiosIl'ss, Mrs. Dale, w h ) took them at once 
 
182 §0m\ the JUvcr io the ^ea. 
 
 o- 
 
 up two flights of stairs. " If they are high, 
 they have the Letter view," she said, 
 smiling. And so tliey had. The girls 
 broke out into exclaniations of delight, as 
 they gazed from the old-fashioned open 
 windows. In front they looked across 
 streets and houses to the ylacls of the Cita- 
 del, crowned by its line of ramparts, and 
 could follow, for some distance, the city 
 wall witliout. The back window com- 
 manded a glorious picture. Across a 
 dusky mass of brown, steep-roofed houses, 
 only half lighted up yet by the morning 
 sun, they looked out on a green, undulating 
 champaign country, flecked with patches 
 of deep green woodland, and little while 
 villages clustering liere and there round 
 their geat church spires; while, for back- 
 ground, rose a grand range of Iiilh, stretch- 
 ing far away in interminabk* blue vista — all 
 grey and violet in shadow and silvery blue 
 in the sunlight, as the morning mists 
 drifted away, Jind a wandeiing sunbeam 
 caught and glorified a tiny white hamlet 
 nestling in the folds of a wooded hill. Just 
 where the sunbeams straggled aw.iy into 
 the green country a silver stream wound 
 
§omx the yvircr fa the <#eiu 18;i 
 
 glittering in the snn, niiiking a bright loop 
 round a point, on which, amid some trees, 
 stood a large stone huilding. 
 
 "That is the St. Chiirles, you know," ex- 
 plained Kate, "and there, where you see it 
 twisted like a silvei" loop, is tlie place 
 where stood the lirst mission house of the 
 KecoUets, and the Jesuits afterwards." 
 
 " Oh ! " said ]\I;iy quickly, « I know! Notre 
 Dame des Anges, was it not ? So that was 
 the place where they had their thatched log 
 cabin and where they used to be half frozen 
 in winter, when they were trying to learn 
 the Indian language from their interpreter, 
 while their biggest w'ood fires could not keep 
 them warm, or their ink from freezing! " 
 
 "And, just a little farther down is the 
 [)lace where they suppose Jacques Cartier 
 laid up his ships, when he first came ; as you 
 were reading to us the other day, Hugh." 
 
 " Ah, and so that is the i)lace where they 
 went through so much suffering, that terri- 
 ble winter, when the ships and masts and 
 rigging were all cased in ice, like ghostly 
 ships at the North Pole, and wlicn the cold 
 and the scurvy were killing them off so fast, 
 that it seemed as if none of tliem would be 
 
184 Jou'u the $xvcv to the ^cu» 
 
 1 < ■' 
 
 Mm 
 
 1 1 
 J I 
 
 left to see the spring. How they must have 
 welcomed its coming at last! " 
 
 Then Kate pointed out the green, low- 
 lying- meadow beyond the St. Charles, 
 called La Canardfh'e, because wild ducks 
 used there to abonnd, and their eyes fol- 
 lowed the long white line of the village 
 of Beauport, running between the grand 
 Laurentian hills and the green slopes that 
 edged tlie blue St. Lawrence, studded 
 with white sails, and winding away between 
 the Island of Orleans and the northern 
 sliore ; while, far down the high river bank, 
 they could just distinguish the dark purple 
 cleft of the Montmorenci Falls. But they 
 were presently reminded that breakfast v\^as 
 waiting, and, after their early start tliey 
 were quite ready thoroughly to enjoy the 
 fresh rolls and sggs and delicious raspber- 
 ries and cream, while they planned their 
 day's sight-se niig, so as to accomplish the 
 utmost that could be done m the hours be- 
 fore them. 
 
 They determined first of all to scale the 
 Citadel, taking Dufferhi Terrace on their 
 way. Tliey went round by the new Parlia- 
 ment buildings, entering the city by the St. 
 
5oun the iliicr ta the ^ca. 185 
 
 the 
 
 liivliiv- 
 
 iio SI. 
 
 Louis gate, with its new Xorinan towers and 
 enibnisiircs. Kate, to wlioiu the phice was 
 familiar of old, g'rew indi.^naiit over the rav- 
 a<^es made in tiio solid old fortiticatioiis just 
 outside the walls, and thought the tine new 
 Parliament l)uildin|[;\s did not by any means 
 make up for it. "Oi could see new build- 
 in<]^s any day, l)ut that wasn't what one came 
 to(2'^^'bee for," siie remarked. They passed 
 by the Es[)lana(le and the winding ascent to 
 the Citadel, and the sedate old-fashioned 
 houses of St. Louis Street, and the little 
 steep-roofed wooden cottage near the hotel, 
 now a saloon, where once lay the body of 
 the brave Montcalm. l?resently they came 
 to the " Ring," as the old Phwe iV Arme^ is 
 often called — the scene, as May reminded 
 them, of so many interesting events in the 
 old French reijlme. 
 
 "For there, you know," she said, "the 
 gate of the old Chateau St. Louis frontiMl the 
 square, and here there used to be state re- 
 ceptions of the Indians, when treaties were 
 concluded ; and here, too, they let the poor 
 Ilurons build a fort when they had been al- 
 most exterminated by the Ircxpiois." 
 
 Hugh was nmch interested, as they passed 
 
180 Down the 'ilivcv U the ^'f». 
 
 Hi 
 
 on, in the siglit of the old C'hiiteau near the 
 shady walks of the (lOvenior'.sCJardens, and 
 in the nionnnient erected to the joint mem- 
 ory of the two brave; heroes,Wolfe and jVIont- 
 cahn. ^Vnd then they came out on the lon<^ 
 promenade, now known as Duft'erin Ter- 
 race, and st()p])ed to take in the magniticent 
 panorama, the wide river, with the pictur- 
 esque heights of Levis innnediately oppo- 
 site, and the crowdcKl shipping below; and 
 then, innnediately bcmeath them, they looked 
 down into the depths of the Lower Town at 
 their feet, in which IMay was eager to dis- 
 cover the site of the old " Abitatiot " of 
 Champlahi. 
 
 "I think it was just about where the 
 Champlain Market is now," Kate replied — 
 " that open space with all the market-carts of 
 the habltans^ and all the people doing their 
 marketing." 
 
 Then they gazed down into the narrow 
 alleys of Little Champlain Street, with the 
 tall, grimy houses that rose up just below 
 them, which, as Flora said, reminded her so 
 much of some of the old " wynds " of Edin- 
 burgh ; and were shown the little old church, 
 " Notre Dame, des Yictoires^'''' which played 
 
Ilouu the IVucv to the ^ca. 187 
 
 he 
 ,nd 
 
 !1U- 
 lllt- 
 
 Dn<5 
 L'er- 
 3eut 
 Uir- 
 ppo- 
 ixiul 
 oked 
 vn at 
 ( dis- 
 ^" of 
 
 the 
 lied— 
 I'ts oi 
 their 
 
 trrow 
 :h the 
 below 
 her so 
 
 Edin- 
 liurch, 
 
 >layed 
 
 so iniportiuib a part in the early history of 
 (2uel)(3C. 3[ay could have remained all day 
 (Ircainiii!:^ over these old historic associa- 
 tions, nor did llu,t;h Macnah seem much in- 
 clined to tear himself away from the fasci- 
 natinjjf scene. Ihit Kate was determined to 
 keep them up to "schedule time," and she 
 and her watch were relentless, so tliey re- 
 luctantly tore themselves away, being prom- 
 ised a still liner view from al)ov(;, and 
 mounted a long steep stair rising- from the 
 end of the Terrace. They could not resist 
 the temptation of looking iiround from time 
 to time as the view widened at every step, till 
 at last, drawing a deep breath, they stood 
 at the top of the (jhicls and gazed at the 
 superb view arotmd them, the closely l)uilt 
 Lower Town, the forest of shipping, the 
 steamboats darting to and fro, the opposite 
 heights, fringed with steep-roofed, balconied 
 houses and sprinkled with distant white vil- 
 lages creeping up their receding sides, and 
 large, stately convents peeping out of clus- 
 tered and embosoming trees ; while just be- 
 neath their feet a black ocean steamer was 
 getting up her steam to sail away down the 
 great river to the sea. 
 

 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
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 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 ^ 
 
1 88 Dauu the ^mv to tUe J^ea. 
 
 Walking back along the (/lacis, they 
 rciiched the winding ascent to the Citadel, 
 wliicli they followed, between its high stone- 
 faced banks, till they reached the ancient, 
 curiously-woven chain gates, said to be ini- 
 pr(\gnable, and leading into the wide green 
 ditch. Then they passed through the mas- 
 sive portals of Dalhousie Gate,with its guard- 
 rooms and casemates built into the solid 
 walls on either side, where the warlike-look- 
 ing sentries politely saluted the ladies and 
 put them under the charge of a soldier 
 guide. lie led them lirst across tiie wide 
 court-yard to tlui King's l^astion by the tlMg- 
 staff, from wlience thev could feast tlieir 
 eyes on such a view as May, at least, had 
 never seen before. All about them Iny tlie 
 city, mapped out with its walls and ram- 
 parts, its church towers and steeples ; at 
 their feet, far below them, the Terrace on 
 which they had been recently standing, and 
 Ixilow that again, the grim okl town, the 
 docks and shipping and flitting boats dimin- 
 ished to the size of playthings ; then the 
 green heights opposite, and the bold blue 
 outline of the Isle of Orleans, and the calm 
 broad river stealing silently away through 
 
§a«Jtt the ^ivcr ta the ;^a. 189 
 
 the vista of distant hills. It seemed like a 
 dream that held them in its spell, till the 
 French soldier, to whom the view was an 
 every-day affair, shrugged his shoulders and 
 said, " allonsy 
 
 They continued their walk past the Officers' 
 (Quarters, in one of which was the Governor 
 General's summer residence ; — past the mag- 
 azine and stables, where many little dogs 
 were playing about, and came out at last on 
 what they thought the most glorious view 
 cf all, — that from the Prince's Bastion, so 
 called, because a Prince's feather, carved in 
 stone on the wall, marks the spot where 
 the Prince of Wales once laid his hand when 
 visiting Quebec. From it they could see, 
 far away to the south, rank after rank of 
 distant blue hills, some of them in Maine 
 and Vermont. To westward they could fol- 
 low the river till it was hidden behind a 
 green projecting point which shut in the 
 Bay of Sillery, while away to the west 
 and north stretched a long succession of 
 blue hills, with white villages gleaming 
 among their wooded sides, amidst which, 
 too, they could trace the silvery ril)bon of 
 the St. Charles, winding its way down cut 
 
190 gowtt the '^xvcx io the ^cji. 
 
 of the shadowy recesses of the distant moun- 
 tains. 
 
 The travellers found no words adequate to 
 express the delight awakened by the glori- 
 ous picture, and gazed on in silence, while 
 light mists floated away from the summits of 
 the hills, and sudden glints of sunshine 
 gave them an added touch of glorious 
 beauty. 
 
 But they could not stay there all day, and 
 all too soon they turned away from the 
 beautiful picture, which they would often 
 hereafter see before the inner eye ; and re- 
 turned along the walls, past little piles of 
 cannon balls and gun-mounted embrasures, 
 till they came down again into the court- 
 yard and the wide, green ditch, on the slope 
 of which sleek cows were peacefully graz- 
 ing, close to the now harmless guns. 
 
 Whither should they go next? They 
 would just have time, Kate said, to take in 
 the Basilica and the Ursuline convent be- 
 fore luncheon. Thither, accordingly, they 
 went, meeting long-robed ecclesiastics and 
 bright-eyed academy boys in their trim gray 
 uniforms ; — pretty French luirse-maids and 
 British orderlies, hurrying along laden with 
 
gaa'u the Oliver io the ^tn. 101 
 
 :az- 
 
 rith. 
 
 packaijjes of officiiil papers, all just as it had 
 been described in " A Chance Acquaintance." 
 The Basilica, or g'reat French Cathedral, 
 they found rather disa^jpointing within, for 
 the impression of niassiveness made by the 
 exterior, seemed incongruous with the gaudy 
 white and gold of the interior decorations. 
 
 *'It seems rather out of keeping," said 
 Hugh, a little discontentedly, "with what 
 one reads of its history, in those stormy old 
 times, when the French colonists used to 
 come here to pray for deliverance from Iro- 
 quois raids, or to offer up thanksgiving for 
 some timely succor." 
 
 " But you know, it has been rebuilt more 
 than once since those old times," said Kate ; 
 and May tried to recall in imagination the 
 great bare-raftered building of those old 
 days, and found much satisfaction in the 
 high porcelain stoves at the entrance, which 
 gave a " foreign look " to the buildmg at 
 once. 
 
 To the Ursuline chapel tliey went next, 
 and, after application made at a grated win- 
 dow of the convent, a tranquil-faced nun 
 opened the great door, and they passed into 
 the quiet little chapel, so dainty in all its 
 

 i 
 
 192 Jawtt the ^vivcr to the jjica. 
 
 .arrangements, and looked at the great pic- 
 ture, by Chaniplain, of Christ at the house 
 of Simon, the Pharisee, — at the tablet to the 
 memory of Montcalm, whose skull is still 
 preserved there ; — and then, with still more 
 interest at the tiny jet of flame in the glass 
 chandelier, kept alight, for a hundred and 
 iifty years, in memory of a young French 
 girl who took the veil all tl ose years ago, 
 and whose brothers made provision to pre- 
 serve in perpetuity tiiis touching tribute to 
 her memory. But the rosy-faced, contented 
 looking sceur, who acted as guide, would by 
 no means let them pass out witlioat s[)ecial 
 attention to the elaborate flower painting on 
 velvet which adorned the altar, and testified 
 at least to the skill and industry of the pres- 
 ent nuns. 
 
 Just as they came out, Kate had an un- 
 expected rencontre with an old school-mate 
 visiting Quebec on her wedding tour. As 
 they were about to part, — after a hundred 
 rjipid questions and answers had been ex- 
 changed, — Kate's friend exclaimed : 
 
 " And where do you think I am boarding? 
 At tlie very house where Kitty in 'A Chance 
 Acquaintance,' stayed ; and if you will just 
 
Jou'tt the Oliver ta the ,^ca. 
 
 193 
 
 ic- 
 se 
 \io 
 jU 
 
 ass 
 lud 
 nch 
 
 pve- 
 e to 
 nted 
 
 A \)y 
 )ecial 
 
 ig on 
 Itified 
 
 pres- 
 
 |u un- 
 
 -inate 
 As 
 iidred 
 ill ex- 
 king? 
 Chance 
 
 111 just 
 
 come with me you shall look fiom the very 
 window of Kitty's room and see the view of 
 which the hook gives such a lively descrip- 
 tion." 
 
 May was enchanted, and the girls were 
 soon looking into the garden of the Ursuline 
 convent from the window at which her fa- 
 vorite heroine was supposed to have stood, 
 looking down at the shady walks helow. 
 Kate and Flora declared that it did not look 
 quite so poetical as in 3[r. Howell's pages, hut 
 May would not entertain the idea of disap- 
 pointment, and tried to see all Kitty saw, 
 though encroaching huildings have a good 
 deal spoiled the quaint old garden, amid 
 whose lilacs and tall hollyhocks that youn^ 
 lady used, on moonlight nights, to evolve the 
 shades of Madame de la I'eltrie and the first 
 heroic tenants of the convent. 
 
 After the morning's adventures the early 
 dinner was very welcome, as well as a little 
 rest, with the view fr(mi their fascinating 
 windows hefore them ; after which they 
 strolled along the Grand IJattery and (piiet 
 Esplanade, and penetrated intollu! quidntly 
 picturesque grounds of the Artillery Bar- 
 racks, and looked from the weuther-heaten 
 
194 Jowtt the lllvcr to the <f ca. 
 
 old arsenal on the wall, at the beautiful 
 glimpse, across docks and grimy old sub- 
 urbs, of the fair green valley of the St. 
 Charles, with Charlesbourg opposite, sitting 
 royally on her hilltops. 
 
 "And, beyond it, you know," said INIay, 
 mixing up fact and fiction, "are the ruins of 
 the old Cliateau Bigot, where the wicked 
 Intendant had his pleasure-parties and ca- 
 rousals, and where Kitty and ]Mr. Arbuton 
 went for a picnic, — don't you recollect?" 
 
 They did not find time to go to see it, how- 
 ever, but explored the city pretty thorough- 
 ly, finding in the name of every street a bit 
 of crystallized history, recalling some name 
 or inc dent connected with its past. There 
 was Donnacona Street, — recalling the kid- 
 napped Indian chief, and Breboeuf Street, re- 
 minding them, of the two heroic Jesuit mar- 
 tyrs, — and Buade Street, associated with the 
 haughty and energetic Governor, Louis 
 lUiade deFrontenac, under whom the French 
 re'jlme saw its proudest days. Tliey walked 
 along the ramparts as far as the new " im- 
 provements," then in progress, would let 
 them and sighed over the ruthless demoli- 
 tion of the old gates — Prescott Gate and 
 
§omx the ?Rivcr U the j^ea. 
 
 195 
 
 iul 
 ib- 
 
 St. 
 
 IS of 
 
 . ca- 
 uton 
 
 ;t, re- 
 luar- 
 i\\ tlic 
 ll.ouis 
 [rencli 
 ralkecl 
 
 " im- 
 lld let 
 lemoU- 
 
 -,Q and 
 
 Palace Gate, and the picturesque old Hope 
 Gate, so graphically described by INIr. IIovv- 
 ells, and even over the renovation of the 
 others, which had lost all their historic in- 
 terest. They spent some hours in diving 
 into the recesses of the old town, its market- 
 place and churches and curious old alleys, 
 (lignifled by the name of streets, and walked 
 along the Saulx Aux Matelots, trying to fix 
 the very place where Arnold fell, on that 
 miserable December morning of 1775 ; and 
 looked long at the "Golden Dog" — Chien 
 iVor — above the Post Office, whereby hangs 
 a tragic tale. And they had a quiet Sunday 
 for resting, with those lovely glimpses of dis- 
 tant hills meeting their eyes wherever they 
 turned ; and attended a service in the quaint 
 old-fashioned English Cathedral, which, 
 with the equally old-fashioned Scottish 
 church and Manse, have such a quaint old- 
 world air, like everything else in Quebec. 
 
 But of course they drove to Montmorency 
 Falls, devoting to it a whole delightful after- 
 noon. Their course lay across Dorchester 
 IJridge, and then between meadows of em- 
 erald green, stretching down to the river 
 and fringed with graceful elms and beeches, 
 
19G goan the JJiicr to the j^a. 
 
 with pretty old-fiishioiied country houses 
 hero and there, which the girls of course 
 culled diataau.i'^ and then down the long vil- 
 lage street of I Jeauport, — the steep- roofed lit- 
 tl(5 liouses in brigiit variety of color succeed- 
 ing each other for several miles, with their 
 long garden-like strips of farm extending 
 down to tiie river on one side, luid upwards 
 towards the hills on the other. Bright llow- 
 ers grew in front of the windows, and trim, 
 dark-eyed French girls sat at the doors and 
 on the little balconies, sewing or knitting 
 away busily, while they chattered in their 
 native tongue. In the middle of the vilhige 
 stood the great stone church, with its bright 
 tin-covered steeples, seen ever so many miles 
 oil'. 
 
 After passing Beauport the scenery grew 
 wilder, and soon they rattled over a wooden 
 bridge, below which the foaming JNIontmo- 
 rency brawled over the brown rocks, at this 
 late season partially dry. A little farther 
 on stood the inn, where carriages wait, and 
 they had only to pass through a gate and 
 walk along the high river bank to the dizzy 
 stair down the cliff, from whence they could 
 see to the best advantage the beautiful fall. 
 
5ou» thr itirrr to the ,$ca. 1D7 
 
 uses 
 ursc 
 ; vil- 
 li lU- 
 
 Uieiv 
 
 vavtls 
 , flow- 
 trim, 
 L's and 
 litlins 
 I ilicir 
 villiiffti 
 l)vio;ljt 
 miles 
 
 plnn«^infT in oneaviiliiiiclio of foiiiii from tlie 
 giddy liLM^lit above, crowiu'd ]»y (Iccp j^reen 
 woods that contrasted strongly willi the 
 glitterinjTj slieet of foam and sjiray, whih; a 
 few beantifnl httle outlying cascades trickled 
 over the dark brown rock in braided thi'eads 
 of silver. 
 
 "How delightful it would be," said May 
 and Flora together, "to stay a whole month 
 at that little imi, and come every day to sit 
 here; and look and look, till one was satis- 
 lied!" And the others sighed regretfully 
 as the fast descending sun warned them 
 that it was time to return to the inn wIku'c 
 they had left the carriage, and drive home 
 past the bright little gardens and piclur- 
 ' es(pie cottages of Beauport — brighter in the 
 slanting rays of the evening sun, — and re- 
 joiced in the golden glory which the sunset 
 threw over the tin roofs of (Quebec, glitter- 
 ing with an intense golden radiance out of 
 the grey setting of rock and misty dis- 
 tance. 
 
 But May thought their morning at Sillery 
 the climax of nil the delights of Quebec. 
 They went by one of the steamboats which 
 are always darting up and down the river, 
 
: I 
 
 I i'^ 
 
 II 
 
 198 goun the giver io the ^ca. 
 
 80 that from its dwik, tlicy litid aiiotlufr line 
 view of the qiuiint ^rcy town risin^% tier 
 above tier, to tlie Terrace alM)ve, wlieri; tlie 
 people looked like Lilliputian lij;ni-es out of 
 a doll's house. Then tliey steamed slowly 
 past the crowded docks, the great black 
 steamships and statel}^ sailing vessels, some 
 ( f them l)earing strange Swedish or Nor- 
 wegian names, — past the foot of Cape Dia- 
 mond, crowned by the C.Mtadel, on the rocky 
 side of which they could distinctly I'oad the 
 inscription: "Here jMontgomery Fell;" 
 past the long street of French hous(;s thiit 
 lines the shore below the plains; past fine 
 wooded heights with stately white country 
 houses gleaming through the deep green 
 foliage; till, on turning a i)oint of the leai'y 
 clilf, they saw before them the curve of 
 Sillery l>ay, with its fringe of many colored 
 cottages and yellow rafts and hnnber piles; 
 while op])osite, the great stone church with 
 its gleaming steeple towered over the flour- 
 ishing village of New Liverpool. Stepping 
 out upon the wooden pier, the travellers 
 walked on past the anchored rafts on which 
 men were busy squaring timber with prac- 
 tised strokes, and up to where the gracefully 
 
§oxm the iRivcr ta the ^ca. 
 
 19U 
 
 f\ne 
 
 tier 
 I the 
 ut of 
 nwly 
 1)1 ack 
 some 
 
 Nor- 
 \ l)i«i- 
 voc.ky 
 id the 
 l^^ell ;" 
 a tbat 
 rtt lino 
 ^wiilry 
 
 U'iii'y 
 irvo of 
 
 M)loV^'<^ 
 
 • piU's ; 
 h with 
 3 floiu'- 
 
 vellers 
 which 
 
 I prac- 
 cefuUy 
 
 curving village street Ix'gan. And there 
 May had a delightfid surprise. A dilapi- 
 dated weather-worn old cottage stood be- 
 fore them, and above it, from an overbang- 
 ing elm, hung a l)oard cm wliieh tbey read 
 the inscription : '•'• J^Jm place) nc tit ihi canvent 
 des Jielhjieiisen Ifosjn(<(lid)'ef<.^'* 
 
 "There!" exclaimed iNIay, " tbat is tlie 
 place wbere tlie mnis of the Hotel Dieu 
 lived when they first arrived with Madame 
 de la Peltrie, before tbey could make up 
 their minds to Imild on tbe rough rocky site 
 they gave to tbem in (Quebec." Tbey all 
 stood for a little wliile, looking at tbe sbabby 
 old cottage, trying to imagine what that 
 first Canadian hospital looked like ; and 
 then they walked up the (piaint old-fasb- 
 ioned street, with its gambrel-roofed bouses, 
 each having its gay little flower-garden in 
 front, till they came to a gray stuccoed, two- 
 story house, standing a little way back from 
 the street, with a square enclosure just op- 
 posite, in which stood a plain white monu- 
 ment. 
 
 "There it is!" May exclaimed, with 
 breathless delight ; " tbe old Jesuit resi- 
 dence ! And tbat square opposite is the 
 
200 §m\\ iht %\mv to the ^ca. 
 
 place where their little church stood, just as 
 it was all described." 
 
 They opened the stiff gate with some dilli- 
 culty, and walked into the little enclosure, 
 where they read the inscription in French 
 and English, — one commemorating the rude 
 little church where the Jesuits and their 
 Algonquin converts had worshipped, about 
 two hundred and fifty years ago; and the 
 other dedicated to the memory of the first 
 missionary who died there — Pore PZneniond 
 Masse — the Pore utile, as he was called, be- 
 cause he could do anything, from saying- 
 mass to ship-building, or even tending tlie 
 pigs of the establishment, thinking notliing 
 beneath him that needed to be done, and be- 
 ing such a favorite with all tliat he was 
 always chosen to accompany their expedi- 
 tions as Father Confessor. Most of tliis 
 May was able to tell the rest of the party, 
 as they stood beneath the two maples that 
 shaded the enclosure. 
 
 Then they took a look at the outside of 
 the old residence, which, however, has been 
 renewed more than once since the substan- 
 tial inner framework was built, and tried to 
 imagine the strange solitary life that its in- 
 
g0um the ^ivcr U the ,f ca. ioi 
 
 as 
 
 iffi- 
 
 ive, 
 
 ncU 
 
 iide 
 
 heir 
 
 jOUt 
 
 the 
 first 
 iioiul 
 I, be- 
 
 [y the 
 
 thini^ 
 
 (1 he- 
 was 
 
 pedi- 
 this 
 
 )arty, 
 that 
 
 Ide of 
 
 been 
 
 )stan- 
 
 [ied to 
 
 its in- 
 
 mates must have lived, especially in bitter 
 winter weather, shut out from all society, 
 excei)t that of a few Algonquhis and trap- 
 pers. 
 
 That afternoon was their last in Quebec. 
 They drove in from Sillery by the pretty St. 
 Louis road, fringed with shady country 
 seats, and commanding, at many points, 
 glorious glimpses of the grand mountain 
 panorama on both sides of the city. As they 
 passed the " Plains of Abraliam " they 
 stopped once more to look at the rather for- 
 lorn-looking monument whicli commemo- 
 rates Wolfe's death, and the victory for (Ireat 
 liritain, which secured half a continent ; and 
 tried to trace the lines of advance up tlie 
 rugged clihs by which the hero had sur- 
 prised the unsuspecting French. Tiiis was, 
 appropriately enough, their last siglit-seeing 
 in (Quebec, and the evenhig following wa:^ 
 spent on Dult'erin Terrace watching the 
 exquisite sunset thits melt away from thi; 
 river and the distant hills, witli a pathetic 
 touch which seemed to them like the mem- 
 ories they would always cherish of the ro- 
 mantic old town. 
 
202 §om the ^ivcv U i\\t ^a. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AMONG THE HILLS. 
 
 As the little party went on board the 
 Saguenay boat next morning, a surprise was 
 in store for them, for who should come to 
 meet them, with the most smiling air, but Mr. 
 Winthrop himself, looking very bright, and 
 meeting them all as if it had been the most 
 matter-of-course thing in the Avorld ! Kate 
 met him with the same cordial, matter-of- 
 course air, but May observed that they ex- 
 changed a few words in a low tone, which 
 seemed to set them on their old footing at 
 once. 
 
 " Do you know," said Flora, to her, as 
 they stood apart in the stern, taking a last 
 look at the great frowning rock and the tall, 
 dark houses loomingabove them, — " I believe 
 some one wrote to him and explained Kate's 
 misconception, and I have my suspicions as 
 to who it was. I saw Hugh scribbling off a 
 
§0xvn the mvtx U the ^ea. 203 
 
 ex- 
 
 licli 
 
 last 
 
 tall, 
 
 klieve 
 
 date's 
 
 Ins as 
 
 off a 
 
 few lines in a great hurry, that evening on 
 the boat, and T shouldn't wonder in the least 
 if it was to Mr. Winthrop ! lint I'm glad 
 it's all right, for I think he is a very nice 
 fellow, and Kate and he would suit each 
 other very well." 
 
 May was completely tjiken back. Had 
 Flora no thought of Hugh, then? Or did it 
 not occur to her that his happiness might 
 be in some degree involved in this matter? 
 But if Hugh really did what she supposed, 
 how very noble it was of him ! He was a real 
 hero, a chivalrous knight! However, she 
 could not, of course, say anything of this to 
 Flora, so she silently determined to put 
 Hugh and his fortunes quite out of her 
 thoughts for the present, as too perplexing 
 a problem, and give herself up entirely to 
 the influence of the glorious scenery and 
 the lovely morning. 
 
 They were, l)y this time, fast losing sight 
 of the grey old fortress about which had 
 raged so many fierce conflicts in the days of 
 old. The Isle of Orleans, along whose 
 southern shore the steamer took her course, 
 quickly hid from tliem the picturesque old 
 town and its beautiful setting, and even the 
 
Mini: 
 
 204 |l0UJn the %ivtv to iU $tiu 
 
 rocky cleft in which Moutnioreiicy was cease- 
 lessly pouring down its masses of snowy 
 foam, and raising its great mist-cloud to the 
 sky. As the Isle of Orleans was itself left 
 behind, the glorious river grew wider and 
 grander, as point after point opened before 
 them in ever-receding vista. Tlie bhie, 
 cloudlike masses of Cap Tourmente and Ste. 
 Anne gradually became great dark hills, cov- 
 ered from head to foot with a dense growth 
 of foliage, chiefly birch and fir. One after 
 another of this magnificent range of sujierb 
 hills rose on their left, wooded from base to 
 summit, and looking almost as lonely and 
 untouched by civilization as when Cartier's 
 " white-whiged canoes" first ascended the 
 " great river of Ilochelaga." Here and there 
 a white village or two gleamed out fiom the 
 encompassing verdure, or stood perched on 
 a hill-top beside its protecting church. To 
 May, who had so often dreamed over the 
 voyages of these early explorers, it seemed 
 like an enchanted land. The Isle of Or- 
 leans was to her the old " He de Bacchns^'' 
 purple with the festoons oi wild vines thnt 
 ottered their clusters of grapes to the French 
 adventurers, and the beautiful He aux Cou- 
 
Haivtt the |{ivcr to the ^c;u 205 
 
 dres, which the Ciii)tiiiii pointed out, she re- 
 called lis ill like nuiiiiier an old acquiiint- 
 jince, surveying it with much hiterest, us she 
 pictured to herself the hardy explorers re- 
 galing themselves on its native filberts. 
 
 Then the noble bay of St. l^anFs opened 
 out its grand spreading curve, with the 
 pretty village of Les Ebouleinents nestling 
 in its breast ; and by and by they had stopped 
 at the massive light-house with its high 
 pier, hitended to suit the variations of the 
 tide. 
 
 " Wh:it a lonely life it must be in these soli- 
 tudes ! " observed Mr. Winthrop, as they 
 watched the great lumbering ferry-boat 
 carrying off the passengers whose homes 
 lay among these hills; — "just think of the 
 contrast between life here and life in the 
 crowded bustle of Xew York." 
 
 "And yet," said Hugh, "I fancy life is, in 
 the main, not so very different here, if wo 
 could only see below the surface. I sup- 
 pose the main outlines of life are pretty 
 much the same everywhere, after all ! " 
 
 }.Iay had been inwardly following out the 
 ;;ame thought, and trying to imagine the 
 sort of lil'e and surroundings to which the 
 

 200 gouitt the ^'mt U the ^ea. 
 
 pule girl in gray, who had specially excited 
 her interest as a supposed bride, was going 
 in her future home. Then the voyagers 
 dreamily watched for some time in silence 
 the long silent procession of wooded hills, 
 dai^pled by the shadow of the great lleecy 
 white clouds that swept up across the blue 
 sky, while, ever and anon, snowy sea-gulls 
 darted down to catch from the tossing crests 
 of the sparkling waves, the fragments of 
 food thrown to them by passengers, seem- 
 ing to spy it unerringly from afar, and now 
 and then white whales or porpoises would 
 toss up a miniature geyser, as they disported 
 themselves in the azure tide. 
 
 At length they came in sight of the head- 
 land forming the upper end of picturesque 
 Murray Bay, where they were to spend 
 some time on their return from the Sague- 
 nay. They all admired the lovely vista 
 opened up by this long and narrow bay with 
 its white church, marking the village from 
 afar, with its grand promontory of Cap a 
 FAigle at its lower extremity, and its green 
 valley, hemmed in by rank after rank of 
 billowy blue hills. But they could not see 
 much of the long straggling village of Pointe- 
 
§m% the ^'wtx U the ^ca. tlOl 
 
 au-Pic, cr the quaint foreign-looking French 
 hamlet in the centre of the curve of the bav. 
 Indeed, their attention was quickly diverted 
 froiii examimng its details, for, among the 
 people who stood on the high pier awaiting 
 the steamboat, they speedily recognized 
 Jack and Nellie Armstrong, who gi'ceted 
 them with much delight, and were soon be- 
 fiide them on the steamer's deck. 
 
 -- You see we gotliere in advance of you, " 
 said Jack Armstrong, and Nellie exclaimed : 
 " We've been wondering what could possi- 
 bly have become of you. We have been 
 watching the last two boats, prepared to 
 join you if you were there, and were begin- 
 ning to despair of you altogether. You 
 must have been bewitched, either by Que- 
 bec or the Thousand Islands, to have been 
 so long on the way. ' 
 
 " And you have very nearly missed the 
 moon," added Jack. " We've been watch- 
 ing it for the last two or three evenings in 
 fear and trembling lest Miss ]\hicnab and 
 Miss Thorburn should miss their ciierished 
 desire of seeing Cape Eternity by moon- 
 light." 
 
 " Oh, I think there is enough of it left 
 
' ',-i -f ■ ;' y 
 
 208 goivu the Oliver to i\\t ^ett. 
 
 yet," said Kate, wliile Mrs. Sandford re- 
 marked that she thought she never shoukl 
 liave been able to tear those people away 
 from the delights of the Thousand Islands. 
 
 "Or from Quebec," said Flora and ]VIay 
 together. " 77(116 was almost the loveliest 
 of" all." 
 
 " Ah, I told you you would enjoy Quebec, 
 Miss Macnab ! " said Jack Armstrong. And 
 presently May observed that he had drawn 
 Flora a little aside, and engaged her in 
 an animated description of what she had 
 most enjoyed since they had left Port Hope. 
 And, indeed, she was looking charming 
 enough, in her Inverness cape and deer- 
 stalker caj), to draw forth a good deal of ad- 
 miration. May thought. As for Kate, in her 
 rough ulster and cap to match, with her 
 color heightened by the sharp sea breeze, 
 she was looking brilliantly handsome, so 
 evidently thought Mr. Winthrop, who kept 
 near her, displacing Hugh altogether, as 
 May at last believed. But now they were 
 nearly opposite Les Pelerins, the strange 
 parallel rocks that stand, silent, stately war- 
 ders beside the great river, widening into a 
 broad sea-like expanse, with a line of dis- 
 
gou'u the JUvfv to the ^ca. 
 
 209 
 
 e 
 \(l 
 
 Is. 
 
 ••vy 
 
 est 
 
 )CC, 
 
 iwn 
 : in 
 had 
 iope. 
 
 Bing 
 kev- 
 i ad- 
 1 her 
 her 
 eeze, 
 so 
 kept 
 as 
 were 
 •aiige 
 war- 
 Into a 
 If dis- 
 
 tant hills faintly breaking the liorizon to 
 llio I'ii^lit, whilo on tlie left, the g'reat hills 
 which had been accompanying^ them all day 
 now receded somewhat into the distance. 
 Tiien the little red brick town of liiviere- 
 (lu-Loup gleamed out ruddy on its slo[)ing 
 hill, growing more and more distinct until tlie 
 steamer had drawn up beside the high i)ier, 
 on which were a number of sunnner tour- 
 ists eager to see who were on the boat, or 
 toccet a little fresh news from the outside 
 world. IJidding these farewell, they quickly 
 passed the long, straggling line of white cot- 
 tages that marked the pleasant watering- 
 place of Cacouna. Our travelers meant to visit 
 it, and also Kivicre-du-Loup, with its grand, 
 romantic water-fall, on the homeward way, 
 but at present their thoughts were engrossed 
 with the Saguenay, and JMay's dreaming 
 imagination was already busy with the blue 
 ridge of rounded hills that, as she was told, 
 marked the entrance and the course of that 
 mysterious river. I3ut, as they crossed over 
 towards the south side of the sea-like river, 
 they had a specimen of the glorious sunsets 
 which form one of the chief charms of Ca- 
 couna, shedding over the calm expanse of 
 14 
 

 210 gouu the Jvivct io the jlea. 
 
 water a flood of golden glory, Jind toucliinj^ 
 the distant hills with the richest amethys- 
 tine hues, till they seemed to float in a 
 dreamy haze, between the amber slcy and 
 the shimmerhig golden tide below. The 
 sight held the little party fascinated with its 
 entrancing spell, and they remained on deck 
 heedless of the summons of the clamorous 
 tea-bell, until the rich hues and the golden 
 glory had faded at last, not into the " light 
 of common day," but into the soft vague- 
 ness of the long northern twilight. Then at 
 last, with a sigh for the brief duration of 
 the beautiful vision, they descended to the 
 lamp-lit cabin to enjoy the appetizing even- 
 ing meal, which their long afternoon in the 
 bracing air had made them all ready to 
 thoroughly enjoy. • 
 
 When they again came on deck they were 
 just passing some straggling islets, darkly 
 green in the fast fading light, and rounding 
 Pointe Noire, — the fltly-named dark point of 
 rock that guards the entrance to the strange 
 mysterious dark northern fiord about which 
 have gathered so many a marvelous story. 
 And now May was eagerly looking out for Ta- 
 dousac, with her heroine Kitty, and the ven- 
 
goutt the J{ivcv to the ^ca. 211 
 
 lys- 
 
 II a 
 
 iind 
 
 The 
 
 liils 
 
 deck 
 
 ll'OUS 
 
 )UleH 
 
 Lig-vie- 
 leii at 
 ion of 
 .0 the 
 even- 
 u the 
 Idy to 
 
 erable old church and all the little romance 
 that followed, ui)perMiost in her imagina- 
 tion. Then those rounded ;'and-hills, skirted 
 by rocks and fringed with a scanty vegeta- 
 tion of stunted firs, were, Mr. Winihr()[) 
 said, the " Mamelons," * about which cluster 
 strange old Indian legends, of tierce con- 
 flicts between the Algonquins and the Es- 
 quimaux — weird tales, too, of a do»)m or 
 curse on intermarriage of an Algonquin 
 with an alien race, which here overtook the 
 offender with its inevitable Nemesis. In the 
 deepening gloanung, in the shadow of the 
 dusky heights that towered on high, casting 
 long, dark, quivering reflections in the dark 
 mysterious stream, with scattered lights 
 twinkling out here and there, through the 
 clustering foliage, is Tadousac. With its 
 straggling brown dwellings, and the massive 
 timbers of the great pier storehoutr^e looming 
 up in undefined vagueness above them, 
 it was easy to imagine any number of legen- 
 dary tales of love and conflict ; of 
 
 '* Old unhappy things 
 And battles long ago," 
 
 * The Mamelons — rounded bluffs. 
 
212 Jjouu the ^ivtx to the ^uu 
 
 
 111 
 
 as IIui^li (luotod onco inoro. The stciimer 
 WJis iniulc lust to the i)it'r, with niuch ereiik. 
 inj^ jmd groaning, us it' shiKklering to Ik'^jm 
 the uset'iit of the dark, luteful river, wliieli, 
 it is said, one of the earliest explorers at- 
 tempting with his men, found it a fatal en- 
 terprise, none of them ever returning to the 
 light of day. 
 
 As the steamer was to remain here half 
 an hour, the whole party landed, as did 
 most of the other passengers, to insptu^t tlie 
 little rude ancient ehurcli, built lunirly three 
 hundred years ago for the Indians and the 
 trappers who traded with them — the oldest 
 surviving building north of IMexico. They 
 took the loute whi(5h May had so often fol- 
 lowed in imagination with her shadowy 
 friends of the story, across the ravine and 
 through the village, with its lights twink- 
 ling all over its little cove, till they reached 
 the plain, bare old wooden church, beside 
 which they stood for some time almost 
 in silence, reverently regarding the little 
 wilderness-temple which had so long alone 
 met the needs and witnessed the devotions 
 of men rough and rude, but men still with 
 the felt need of Divine help in their strange 
 
gown the lliirt to the ^ca. 218 
 
 wild lives. Uut tlio visitors coiiUl not initor, 
 nor were they indeed anxious to do so, for 
 they felt that tliis niii^dit have hrokcMi tiio 
 si)ell thrown over them by the ban^ sombre, 
 weath(;r-beaten exterior andvem rabhi asso- 
 eiatl(»ns. Moreover', the steamer was already 
 wiiistrmj^ its summons, so they set out on 
 their return throu^li the same shadowy, 
 su<?.jjjestive ^loom of dark pine-studded roeks 
 and deep nuirmurinj^ unseen wati^rfalls, till 
 they eame out suddenly on tin; elusti^red 
 litrlits of th(!i landin<;' and tluisteumer stream- 
 ing with lio'ht through every ereviee, just 
 as .May had seiMi it so often, alrejuly, thronnh 
 the eyes of JMiss Kitty Ellison. 
 
 Well, they had left Tadousac Ixjiiind 
 now, and had fairly entered into the shad- 
 ows of the dark and sullen Sa<^uenay, whii-h 
 seems to lie like a prisoner between its slern 
 frowning warders and to have hewn out its 
 dillie'ult passage to unite with the St. Law- 
 rence, through the stern rocks that w(Mdd 
 have shut it up in its lonely gloom forever. 
 To Hugh, the passage left behind seemed 
 indeed a fortress-gate, strongly flanked by 
 tall overhanging rocks, crags with gnarled 
 savins^ and white-stemmed birches gleam- 
 
214 JoiVtt the lUvcv to the ,*ctt. 
 
 5 ' 
 
 ing ovon in tlio (IcciuMiiiif:!^ dusk, cliiif^lii^, nn 
 if for lifo, to till) JM^'iifcd pn^oipiccs. 'IMu^ 
 li;\(l lost slight of tlio iwinUliiig lijjjhls of 
 'I'ndousiic, sot in its littlo rocky niclio of 
 t)io '■''-petite )n()?it(f(/ne qui est ]>resqne conpee 
 p<fr ht ?«cr,'' Jia Ch!inii)l;nn lind doscriluHl it 
 loojn' i»j;*o, with its "litllo liarbor," winch 
 would hold only nine or ton shij)s in tlio 
 cwhroiichiire of tlio SajL;"ucnjiy, thon.ujh niiiny 
 n\oroconld llndshcltor in tlio bay that fronts 
 the St. 1-awronco. The ca[)tain of the 
 stcanior told the yonng men about the little 
 lake close at hand, which guards the pre- 
 cious vouul;: salmon raised there for the 
 (iovcM-nnuMifs flsh-breedhig establishment 
 at A use de Teau. 
 
 And now the dark, vay^ue forms of Titans 
 seemed to rise up on either hand, — great 
 massive hills and I'lilfs that seemed almost 
 to shut out the ligiit of the stars; and most 
 of the party, growing tired of the somewhat 
 awesome silent processiiui, took refuge in 
 the lighted saloon, from whence soon eame 
 strains of sweet nuisie, and the tones of 
 Flora's fresh young voice, in ''Over the Sea 
 to Skye," which seemed not inappropriate 
 to the (jenius loci. Mr. Winthrop and Hugh 
 
Houn the ^{ivcv to the ,*f«. 
 
 i>15 
 
 ronijiiiKMl tiilkin^ with (li(M';i|)ta'm about the 
 nioro Hlrikin^ iridurcrt of Mkj s(UMH'ry imd 
 its liiHtori(nil uHsociiiiioiiH ; mikI to May, lialt' 
 liHtoiiiii^' to tlxMn, lialf (trcaminf^ out a^^aiii 
 tli6 vivid iSkctclics of Parkiuau, tlio soli(u(l(5 
 HiMMuiid iH'oplcd on(!() nioro with tlio old ox- 
 ploror.s who cstahlished ti(!.s of (!onini(Mr,o 
 between far-away St. Alalo and tlieH(5 louely 
 wildn, — Cartierand IJohervai, Poiitj^rave and 
 Chauvin, and their l)ands of trappers and 
 7H)i/<f(/(!(frf<^ for wlioni the Indians [)ad<lled 
 tlieir canoes, laden witli costly furs, down 
 this dark, fatliondess stream. She could 
 realize more vividly the fate of ouo n,nfor- 
 tunate band, left at so loncily a, post to 
 starve, throujjjii one miserable wiid(n-. For, 
 lii'st, by reason of its fabled wealth of ^old 
 and silver .ind precious stoiu^s, and after- 
 w^ards for the sake of its real riches in furs, 
 the Saguenay was even better known to 
 the early pioneers than was the river be- 
 tween (Quebec and Montreal. Then, too, 
 May's thoughts went back to that very dif- 
 ferent little band of missionaries, — Ueeollets 
 first, Jesuits afterwards, — \vlio eaino beiiring 
 a Christian message of love to the savages of 
 this wild region. She remembered how the 
 
216 Joan the '^iva U i\\c ^m. 
 
 # 
 
 trio of Jesuits wlio first reuched the river 
 Sagne, as it was then called, in their delight 
 at reaching their goal, descrihed it as heing 
 " as heantifnl as the Seine, almost as rapid 
 as the Ivlione, and deeper than many parts 
 of the sea," and how Pore Le Jeune, in par- 
 ticular, felt that they were the foi'erunners 
 of a host of hrave soldiers of the Cross who 
 should subdue the land for the Lord. She 
 remembered how the sight of some i)oor In- 
 dian captives, cruelly toi'tured by their cap- 
 tors arrayed in all their uncouth adorn- 
 ment of parti-colored paint, had so impressed 
 the good Fathers with pity, that they oidy 
 longed for an opportunity of preaching to 
 them the gospel of love and peace, although, 
 as Pore Le Jeune observed, the same fate 
 might at any time befall themselves. And, 
 indeed, Pere Le Jeiine's, observation on that 
 head is well worthy of being recorded : 
 
 " In truth, T was cut to the heart. I had 
 thought of coming to Canada, only because 
 I was sent. I felt no particular regard for 
 the savages, but I would have rendered obe- 
 dience, had they sent me a thousand times 
 further; luit I can truly say, that, even if I 
 should have detested this country, ^ should 
 
Jlou-n the Jlivcr tu the .f ca. 217 
 
 had 
 (ausc 
 h for 
 
 obc- 
 limes 
 
 h if I 
 I oil Id 
 
 have been touched by what T liave seen, had 
 my heart been brass. Would to (4od, that 
 those who cau help these poor souls, and do 
 something for their salvation, could be here 
 for three d.iys! I think the desire of sav- 
 ing tliem would seize their whole souls." 
 Then he proceeds to reflect that in England, 
 in Spain, in Germany, when the Gospel was 
 first carried thither, the barbarism of the 
 people had been as great. (He says nothing 
 about France, evidently considering that the 
 time of /^.s' barbarism belonged to remote 
 antiquity.) And further, that the Indians 
 do not lack sense, but instruction; and then 
 goes on to sj[)eak of his plans for founding 
 schools for the more docile children; thus 
 anticipating the connnon-sense missionary 
 [)()licy of our own day. And he takes ref- 
 uge in the end, as all souls yearning for the 
 salvation of their fellows have had to do, in 
 the promise of the Eternal: '•'■ J)aJto tihi 
 (jentes heriddtateni tnam^ ct pots'.s'e.ss/o^^fim 
 terniios terr ((.'''' 
 
 In that sanu; bay of Tadonsac, too, IMay 
 recollected, the good Fathers had their first 
 experience of what the St. Lawrence conld 
 do in tiie way of a storm, and had reason to 
 
218 gawtt the %Vmv ia the ^ea. 
 
 be thankful for the measure of shelter which 
 this bay could give thein. As another sam- 
 ple of New World experience, they were 
 nearly eaten up by the mosquitoes and a 
 host of other insect persecutors, while the 
 fire-flies formed at least one cheering ex- 
 ception as they glittered among the woods 
 " like sparks of fire, by which he could even 
 see to read at night." 
 
 But tlie captain went on to talk about 
 some of the old floating legCiids that still in- 
 crease the romantic interest attaching to this 
 strange river of the North, — of the tierce 
 battles between the rival tribes, in the course 
 of one of which is said to have taken place 
 the terrible earthquake which rent asunder 
 these scarped and jagged clifl:'s, to form this 
 sublime channel of the Saguenay. And he 
 spoke, also, of the romantic story which has 
 been woven out of the old legend that a 
 mixed marriage between the white man and 
 the Indian was followed by the impending 
 doom ; and the terrible forest fires which 
 have at times swept over the whole region, 
 scorching and destroying all life, vegetable 
 and animal, that lay in their course, and 
 leaving their melancholy traces in the splin- 
 
gaii'u the lUvcv io the ^ca. 219 
 
 ich 
 
 reve 
 xl fi 
 
 the 
 
 ex- 
 oods 
 even 
 
 ibout 
 
 lU in- 
 
 [) this 
 
 tierce 
 
 iourse 
 ,^lace 
 
 aiider 
 this 
 nd he 
 h has 
 hat a 
 m and 
 nding 
 ivhich 
 ■egion, 
 etable 
 
 ■e, and 
 splin- 
 
 tered, seamed crags that raise aloft majes- 
 tic forms once clothed in a graceful dra- 
 pery of green, now only crested here and 
 there Avith a dreary skeleton of their de- 
 parted forests. It was not difficult to im- 
 agine the awfuhiess of the scene at night, 
 when the billows of red flame and ruddy 
 smoke rolled in dread maj(!sty over those 
 grand hills, uncontrolled and uncontrolla- 
 ble, till they were suddenly checked l)y the 
 dark, deep waters of the cold and deep 
 river. 
 
 But the captain's talk ended, and Mr. 
 Winthrop, who had gone u[) the Saguenay 
 before, was by and by attracted into the sa- 
 loon, and only May and Hugh iNIacnab were 
 left on deck, with a few of the other passen- 
 gers,who, like themselves,were held by a sort 
 of fascination in the savage and sombre gran- 
 deur of the dark, cloud-like shapes that 
 seemed to unroll themselves before theuj in 
 endless succession. It seemed strange to sit 
 there, as it were in the presence of the In- 
 finities, in their awful, everlasting silence, 
 while lights were streaming from the saloon 
 and from it also were coming, — ik)W snatches 
 of the wild, wailing melody of "Loch-Lo- 
 
'220 §ow\x the ^{ifcv U the ^ea. 
 
 moiul," now of tlic gay little French love 
 ditty ; 
 
 " II y'a long toinps quo jo t'aimc, 
 Jamais jo no t'oubliorai ! " 
 
 whicli irugli absently hummed in concert 
 with the singers within, setting INfay again 
 at work on her little romance, the ending 
 of wliich was so per[)lexing her at present. 
 But this was only for a passing moment; 
 for the presence of tliese dark hills was too 
 absorbing to admit other thoughts. And 
 now the faintly dilfused light of the rising 
 moon, itself still hidden from view, made a 
 pale background for the great bold silhou- 
 ettes^ and shovvcd, too, something more of 
 their minor features ; and at last the bright 
 silver disk, shorn of something of its round- 
 ness, rose clear above the sharply defined 
 edge of a jagged crag, partially clothed with 
 trees. And now the great grooves and 
 seams of the rocks could be distinctly dis- 
 cerned in unrelieved ligiit and shade, — and 
 the dark lines of such vegetation as could 
 here find a foothold, with here and there a 
 cluster of twinkling lights, marking a little 
 centre of human life in the midst of the wil- 
 derness. As they advanced, the precipices 
 
Joivtt the ilivcr to the ^ca. 221 
 
 ove 
 
 Lcert 
 gain 
 ding 
 sent, 
 lent ; 
 is too 
 And 
 L-ising 
 iide a 
 llhou- 
 n'C of 
 l)right 
 
 grew bolder and bolder; one bold profile 
 after another became defined in the moon- 
 light, then opened up new vistas of the sea 
 of hills and precipices which was continu- 
 ally changing its relation to the spectator. 
 And presently Hugh went in to sunnnon the 
 rest of the party to come out, for, far away 
 in the distance, a practised eye could already 
 discern, just touched 1)y the moonlight, the 
 commanding peak and striking triple pro- 
 file of Cape Trinity. It seemed an impress- 
 ive and solenni approach to the miglity crag, 
 growing every moment grander and more 
 majestic in the pale radiance of the moon- 
 light. The tri[)le etl'ect, both vertically and 
 laterally, showed more effectively, though 
 less distinctly, the bare-browed cliff looking 
 even more imposing than in daylight, — every 
 scarped crag and splintered pinnacle and 
 barbicon standing out in the sharp»est con- 
 trast of light and shade. Tlie travellers 
 gazed up at the giant, towering al)ove them 
 to such a height that it made one dizzy to 
 try to follow it with the eye ; and so close 
 did it seem impending over the vessel, that 
 they could scarcely realize their real dis- 
 tance from it, till a copper coin, thrown by 
 
222 §om the llivcr U the ^ca. 
 
 
 Mr. Winthrop with all his force, came far 
 short of the rocky wall, and fell into the 
 dark stream below. 
 
 Cape Trinity left behind, Cape Eternity be- 
 gan to loom up in lonely majesty beyond — 
 its mighty mass partially clothed with ver- 
 dure, and, like the other, idealized in the 
 moonlight. The awesomeness of its gran- 
 deur oppressed them with an overpowering 
 effect of dread sublimity, and it was almost 
 a relief when the steamer at last glided 
 away from those tremendous embodiments 
 of nature's savage grandeur, and saw rising 
 before them vistas of a somewhat gentler, 
 though still bold and picturesque type. 
 
 But it was now long past midnight, and 
 most of the party, despite interest of the 
 scene, were growing exceedingly sleepy. 
 Mrs. Sandford, indeed, had long ago retired 
 to her state-room, declaring that neither of 
 the two famous cliffs were worth losing the 
 best half of a night's rest for ! The rest of 
 the party now followed her example, and as 
 May passed through the ladies' cabin to her 
 state-room, she was startled for a moment by 
 seeing the dark forms of a number of sleep- 
 ing nuns, who occupied the sofas instead of 
 
goivn the JUvcr U the j^cu. 223 
 
 far 
 the 
 
 f he- 
 ld— 
 ver- 
 . the 
 rraii- 
 Biing 
 .most 
 glided 
 nents 
 
 rising 
 ntler, 
 
 :, and 
 ){ the 
 lleepy. 
 letired 
 
 lier of 
 [ig the 
 lest of 
 ind as 
 Ito her 
 mtby 
 isleep- 
 ead of 
 
 berths. They were doubtless going out 
 from one of the great nunneries on a mis- 
 sionary expedition, and to May it seemed 
 deliglitfully in harmony with the spirit of 
 the scene. Nor would it have been at all 
 diilicult for her to imagine figures called up 
 from the old days when these dark uniforms 
 were the only civilized female dress in all 
 the region of the Saguenay. She regarded 
 her own simple dark blue travelling dress 
 with a sigh. It certainly was not nearly so 
 pictures(pie ! 
 
 May sle[)t soundly enough, notwithstand- 
 ing the motion of tlie boat and the creaking 
 of the chains and timbers during the occa- 
 sional stoppages. But about daybreak she 
 was awakened l)y the rattling of chains and 
 the confused clatter of voices, and started 
 up in haste, that she might not lose an hour 
 of the wonderful scenery about her. On 
 coming out of her state-room, she was again 
 somewhat startled by the cluster of dark- 
 robed nuns, some of whom were already up, 
 and absorbed in their morning devotions. 
 But she had no time to think much about 
 them just then, for through the cabin win- 
 dow she caught a glimpse of some wonder- 
 
224 ^om the yavcr to the l^tiu 
 
 fill granite peaks, touched with the loveliest 
 rose-color by the light of the sun, which had 
 not yet risen above the rugged hills that 
 close in about the crescent curve of Ila-IIa 
 Bay. Calling Flora to make haste to fol- 
 low her, she stood for a little time at tlie 
 stern, feasting her eyes on the exquisite 
 solenni beauty of those i^ranite hills thus 
 glorified by the coming day. Then, joined 
 by Flora, to whom the scene recalled her own 
 Highland hills, she hastened on deck to en- 
 joy the full extent of the lovely view around 
 them. They were lying, stranded by the 
 receding tide, near one end of the long bay, 
 which takes its name, according to some, 
 from the surprised laugh of some of the first 
 i xplorers at finding themselves cul-de-sac ; — 
 according to others, from their expression of 
 satisfaction at having at last found sound- 
 ings in this apparently fathomless river. 
 Just above them, now gilded by the level sun- 
 light, rose a rugged height of richly-tinted 
 granite, sprinkled by birch and balsam, at 
 the foot of which clustered the little grey- 
 peaked wooden houses of the tiny hamlet of 
 St. Alphonse. The piazzas of the summer 
 hotel, and the steep- roofed stone church 
 
gau'tt the yavcr fa the $cu. 225 
 
 ;iYer. 
 
 sun- 
 
 inted 
 
 looked down fi-om the liill-sloi)e beyond (lie 
 pier, and, fai' alon^- tlie swee[)in<;' enrvc; of 
 the bay, tlic g'leaniin^L;' vil!ai';(' of St. Ah'xis 
 shone white on tlie gi'een sliore behind it, 
 long sloping* nplands of aral)h! land, while 
 near it a l)laek-hulled ship lay at anehoi-, 
 the first anehorage for the mariner on thi.s 
 dark rock-bound stream. 
 
 One l)y one the little party had colleijted 
 on deck, with the exce[)ti()n of Mi's. Sand- 
 ford, keenly enjoying the loveliness of the 
 hour and scene; and already their fellow- 
 passengers were beginning to leave the 
 steamer on various little expeditions, to fill 
 up the hours which they must wait for the 
 turning of the tide — some to drive across the 
 hills or along the shore of the bay; others 
 to stroll along the sinning sands and exam- 
 ine the long-stretching weir, com[)osed of 
 interlaced boughs, jutting far out into the 
 stream, which here presents the most fas- 
 cinating condjination of sea-shore and inland 
 river. A little party of long-robed ecclesi- 
 astics, whom our travellers had noticed the 
 evening before, in a corner of the saloon, 
 poring over their breviaries, were seen 
 
 slowly ascending the hill-slope, towards the 
 15 
 
22G goa'tt the Jllicv to the jlett. 
 
 church, mid Hugh .siiggcslud a stroll in the 
 saine direction, as the ]ull-sl()[)e seemed a 
 good point for observation of the surround- 
 ing landscape. 
 
 The morning air blew cool and bracing in 
 their faces as they left the pier, the view 
 before them growing grander and wider at 
 every stei). They skirted the; hotel grounds, 
 where a few early stirring guests on the pi- 
 azza watched them with great interest, and 
 soon found themselves at the door of the 
 church, from whence they could connnand 
 a noble panorama of hills and river in their 
 cool, pale northern coloring, somewhat 
 warmed l)y the slanting rays of the early 
 August sun. But when they presently en- 
 tered the church, the solemn husli of the 
 scene within carried off their thoughts in 
 an entirely different direction. It seemed a 
 large church for so small a settlement, and 
 the fresh and new look, the white aiid gold 
 decoration, and the robes of the priests, 
 seemed curiously out of keeping with the 
 primitive wildness of the surrouiidings. Tlic 
 party of ecclesiastics, wiio, it now appeared, 
 numl)ered a bishop among them, were there 
 in full force, and a small congregation, iu- 
 
 m 
 
IJOU'll the llivct to iht ^c«. 227 
 
 eu- 
 
 tUo 
 
 s in 
 
 icd a 
 
 iind 
 
 ests, 
 
 the 
 
 The 
 
 ired, 
 
 here 
 
 II, 111- 
 
 chiding several officers of the steamboat, 
 were ah-eady gathered for early mass. I lujj^h 
 sat down reverently in the nearest seat, and 
 the others followed his example, and re- 
 mained there until the short service was 
 comi)leted. It was singularly restful and 
 soothing, and to May and Flora, despite 
 their staujich Protestant preferences, it 
 was a memorable experience. The deep 
 tones of tlie officiating priest and the sol- 
 enni chant of the psalms, seemed laden with 
 memories of the days when these same 
 chants first arose in these savage solitudes, 
 from the rude bark chapel or the simpler 
 forest sanctuary, before the wondering eyes 
 of the half-hostile Indians. 
 
 As the last chant died away on the ear, it 
 was like awaking from a dream of the re- 
 mote past, to come out once more on the 
 wide summer landscape lying at their feet, 
 the long line of level sands, the stranded 
 vessel, the still receding tide, the long 
 stretch of gray uplands and dark green 
 hills. But breakfast began to seem a wel- 
 come possibility, which quickened the steps 
 of the travellers back to the steamer, where 
 they found Mrs. Sandford in a little flurry 
 
2ii8 Jou'u the JUvcv to the ,^ciu 
 
 of concern about tlicir long absence, and 
 more tlian ready, slie declined., for lier 
 breakfast. .And after their early risin.uj jind 
 tlieii" lonjjj stroll, it scarcely needs be said 
 liow keeidy tlh^y enjoyed the excellent 
 breakfast of porrid,i;e, smelts, salmon, fresh 
 rolls, and excellent colfee — not forgetting 
 the blueberries for which the region is so 
 famous. After breakfast there was still 
 some time before the steamer could move. 
 Flora hunted up her sketch-book, and went, 
 accompanied by jNfiiy and Nellie, to make a 
 sketch on shore, while Hugh ]Macnab and 
 Jack Armstrong, who insisted on coming, 
 too, amused themselves by clambering up 
 the rocky height a1)ove them, to see what 
 sorts of plants might be growing among the 
 crevices — for Hugh was something of a 
 naturalist as well as a poet. The others, 
 including j\[rs. Sandford, preferred to re- 
 main on the deck of the steamer, watching 
 the Uunber vessel take in her load, and the 
 swift return of the tide, nearly as remark- 
 able for its speed as is the Scottish Solway, 
 which has furnished the comparison : — 
 
 " Love flows like the Solway 
 And ebbs like its tide." 
 
^oun the Tsh'tv to the f c«. 
 
 2t>9 
 
 As tlie j^'ii'ls sat there, a youiiuf, pleasant- 
 faced /tahitdiite came up to them, followed 
 by two or three tiny children, .i^iad to ex- 
 change a word with the strangers, and to 
 otfer for sale tiny canoes, which the inex- 
 perienced hands of the children had sha[)e(l, 
 in imitation of the pretty toy canoes olfered 
 for sale at all the booths of French and In- 
 dian wares. They spoke no English, and 
 May was too doubtful of her French to try 
 it, but Nellie and Flora opened a conversa- 
 tion with her, to her evident pleasure, for, 
 in so secluded a spot, a talk with a stranger 
 is an event. " Ves," she said, after telling 
 the names and ages of the children ; " yes, 
 the summer /6' very short, and the winter 
 long and cold." But then her husband 
 stays at home, and in sunnner he is away, 
 working on boats, and that is evidently 
 compensation — for he is '•'• un ban r/r/rjv>y^" 
 And indeed she seemed a happy wife and 
 mother, for the blessings of life, happily, 
 generally counterbalance its privations. 
 The girls gladly bought the tiny canoes, the 
 "'prentice work" of the little childish hands, 
 and, after an interested infi)ection of Flora's 
 sketch, and many admiring connnents there- 
 
280 goivu the yaicv fa the ^ca. 
 
 upon, they parted — the trsivollers to Tetvini 
 to tlie stetuner, tlie chihli'(3ii and their 
 mother to i-eturii cO their adxoie^ hapjty in 
 their little store of silver c(»iiis. And now 
 the tide has flowed in, np to the end of the 
 weirs, the seattered passengers are collected 
 on hoard, and the steamer, with screw re- 
 volvinii: once more, glides swiftly ont of 
 Ihi-Ha r>ay, leaving hehind all its rugged 
 heanty and its primitive, secluded life ; and 
 turns up another hend of the fioi'd, towards 
 the great hill curves that hound the vista. 
 Point after point, hend after hend, succeed 
 each other in l)e\\ ildering succession, wliih; 
 the travellers feel once more how distinct is 
 the stern suhliiuity of the Saguenay from 
 the grand heauty of the St. Lawrence. Tiu* 
 great, hare splintered crags that rear their 
 grey, furrowed hrows to the sky, the end- 
 less succession of pine-crested hills, craggy 
 points, daik, deep gorges, and WTather-woin 
 and liclien-scarred rocks, contorted hy fire 
 and water into every conceivahle form, 
 seemed almost oppressive, at last, in their 
 almost unhroken savage wilderness. Here 
 and there green uplands and stretches of 
 softer forest verdure, or sheltered valleys, 
 
Down the Oliver to the ^cn. 
 
 r» 
 
 2S1 
 
 with little settlements nestliiicj in their laps, 
 or clinging to the sheltering rocks, introduce 
 a gentler tone ; hut the general impression 
 is one of savage sterility, scarrisd hy the 
 traces of dev.istation on the fire-swept hills, 
 hristling with dark tree skeletons, and hy 
 the sullen darkness of the stream itself. 
 And now and then the sky grew grey, too, 
 as a sudden s(piall swept down the gorge ; 
 and it was easy to associate with the wild 
 mountain fiord the strange tales told to the 
 early explorers, and to see in imagination 
 the fur-laden canoes, with their silent, dusky 
 paddlers wending their way down the 
 rocky cafion., which the river seems to have 
 hewn for itself with such difficulty, from 
 the inaccessible solitudes behind, tln-ougli 
 the sea of rocks between these and the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 As they steamed onward towards Chicou- 
 timi, however, which is the real head of the 
 bay, the scenery becomes softer in type, 
 and, amid the rolling uplands, cluster little 
 white villages, each with its guardian 
 church. Chicoutimi, with its fine stone 
 church on the hill, and its sawmill and lum- 
 ber-yard below, comes into view, as they 
 
23*2 gown the |Uin* to the ^f«. 
 
 M 
 
 round one of the numberless points, a place 
 of some consequence in this lumbering' 
 country. Tlie steamer stops at the pier, 
 and tlie little band of rdifjieuses disemburk 
 and wend their way to the convent on llie 
 hill, while May and Flora watch their black- 
 robed figures and vainly speculate on tlicir 
 past and their future, wondering what rou- 
 thieof duties awaits them here, and whether 
 they are of the same heroic fibre with tliose 
 who, two hundred years ago, crossed the 
 stormy ocean into exile in this wilderness, 
 in order to nurse sick Indians and teach In- 
 dian children their Pater- Noster. 
 
 As the steamer left Chicoutimi behind, 
 Hugh Macnab and Mr. Whithrop discov- 
 ered two or three half-breed voyaf/eurs^ com- 
 ing down with the luggage, l)oats, etc., of a 
 party of gentlemen who had been canoeing 
 among the rocks and rapids of the "Grand 
 Disciharge" of the Saguenay, in the com- 
 paratively untrodden wilds into which no 
 steamer can penetrate, and tracing the dark 
 waters up to their source in Lake St. John. 
 The swarthy good-humored boatmen were 
 eagerly questioned and cross-questioned by 
 the three young men, till it became clear, to 
 
5ouu the llivct to the ;^ca. 
 
 283 
 
 the observant Kate, at least, tliat tliey 
 were planning some private excursion of 
 their own, not in the original prog'raunne of 
 their party, thongli at present they all ol)- 
 served an obstinate silence as to any such 
 idea. 
 
 Meantime, they all sat dreamily w\atching 
 the long procession of headland, rock, and 
 hill, — a silver thread of cascade occasion- 
 ally trickling down the dark precipices, won- 
 dering at the variety and effect pi'oduced 
 with such apparent sameness of material, 
 lint, behold! a great grey Titan looms up be- 
 hind a distant headland, seeming to i)ierce 
 the sky ; and the passengers, Pjiglisli, 
 American and Canadian, begin to crowd 
 the forward deck, with eager outlook. A 
 little farther, and the vast breadth and 
 height of Cape Eternity uprears its mighty 
 mass overhead, — its summit seeming lost in 
 the sky, across which great clouds are rai)i<lly 
 drii'ting. i\[ay thought it had looked even 
 grander in the moonlight, which seemed to 
 expand it into infinity; but Hugh and Mr. 
 Winthrop declared tliat to them it was no 
 less im[)osing in the clea." light of day, 
 which gave it the strength and force of 
 
•1 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 234 Haivn the ^ivff ta the ^(a. 
 
 |ji 
 
 reality. Scarcely had they ceased gazing m 
 fascination at its mighty mass, when Kate, 
 pointing triumphantly before them, drew 
 their attention to the still grander headland, 
 the mighty triple profile of Cape Trinity. 
 And now, just above their heads, as it seemed, 
 that sublime rock was unfolding its triple 
 unity, both vertical and lateral, each way 
 'l";^Mucd into three distinct heads; a far more 
 iui^iressive individuality, they all agreed, 
 than J " ;;i:-;ter cape. Again came that curi- 
 oc.;.% '.p ■ illusion of the great precipice 
 towering uniaediately overhead in close prox- 
 imity to the boat, — a delusion only dispelled 
 with much difficulty after seeing that the 
 pebbles wliich the passengers amused them- 
 selves by throwing at it, fell invariably a 
 long way short of their aim. And a feeling 
 of soul-subduing awe stole over May, as she 
 threw back her head, and tried to scan the 
 entire face of those lofty summits which 
 seemed to rear their grey, weather-beaten 
 heads into the very empyrean ! Here and 
 there, a stray bit of vegetation clung with 
 difficulty to a cleft in the rock, seeming to 
 emphasize its ruggedness and stern majesty. 
 But, as Hugh observed, and all agreed, the 
 
Dumt the ^ivcr to the ^t\u 
 
 235 
 
 white statue of tlie Virgin, placed, by Ro- 
 man Catholic piety, in a niche of the ciair 
 seemed an impertinence, even fi'om the 
 broadest point of view, for surely tliey felt 
 that grand JVIount Iloreb, symbol of Divine 
 Majesty, should have been profaned by no 
 mortal image. Nevertheless, when the 
 steamer slackened speed, just under the 
 precipice, and the sailors in solemn cadence 
 chanted an " Ave Maria," there was a pa- 
 thetic earnestness and an antique, old-world 
 air about the proceeding which was very 
 impressive. What ITugli himself thought 
 of the grand, wonderful bit of nature's ar- 
 chitecture, found its way to paper in the 
 course of the afternoon, the lines taking 
 shape in his mind as the too swiftly reced- 
 ing lines of Cape Trinity faded away into 
 dim remoteness, when it seemed to all the 
 party tliat the central figure, the chief in- 
 terest of the Saguenay, had passed out of 
 the scene. And, after the long strain of 
 attention, — the effort to lose none of the 
 ever-changing grandeur of the shifting 
 panorama, — it was almost a relief when the 
 showery clouds that had gathered so 
 grandly about Cape Trinity, deepened 
 
ii 
 
 230 gatt'u the "^sxvtt tcr the ^ca. 
 
 into a leaden grey ; and mist and rain 
 began to blot ont all save tlie nearest 
 hills. As tlioy sat watcliing in soinewliat 
 soni])re mood the silent procession of mist- 
 laden hills, with here and there a wliite 
 thread of waterfall trickling down tlieir 
 sides, and the wliite whales and porpoises 
 splashing in the dark stream below, — the 
 only sign of life in all the great solitude, 
 while an occasional gleam of sunshine, 
 from an opening cloud, threw a golden 
 gleam to relieve the stern aspect of the 
 scene, Hugh was called on for a reading 
 from a volume into which he had been ([[[)-. 
 ping during the day. It Avas the copy of 
 Charles Sangster's poems, which he had 
 procured in JVIontreal, and he willingly gave 
 them a few stanzas from the poet's descrii)- 
 tion of the Saguenay ; — the following lines, 
 in particular, seeming to express the very 
 spirit of the scenery about them : — 
 
 " 111 goldiMi voluiuos rolls the blossod light 
 
 AlouLf llic sUMMJe luouiitiuns. I'ilo on pile 
 
 Tlio ijjraiiite masses rise lo left and right; — 
 
 ]>:il(l, stately bluifs that never -wear a smile; 
 
 Wliei-e vegetation fails to reconeile 
 
 The parelied shrubbery and stunted trees 
 
 To the stern mercies of th(> flinty soil. 
 
 And we must pass a thousand bluffs like tliese, 
 
 Within whose breasts are locked a myriad mysteries. 
 
Joivtt the fsxm to the ^c«- 237 
 
 " Drcainiii.iij of tlic old years, bcfoic they rose, 
 'rriiiinpliaiit from tlit; (hep, whose watt-rs rolled 
 Above their solemn and unknown rejm.se; 
 Drcaminij of that. ItriLi;hl morning, when, of old, 
 JJeyond the red man's memory, they told 
 Tlie secrets of the Aj^es to the sun, 
 That smiled upon them fi'om his tluono of cold. 
 Dreaming of the bright slurs ;ind iovinif moon, 
 That lir.>t shone on them from the night's in 
 
 nipres- 
 
 sive noon: 
 
 " — Dreamini^ of the long ag(!S that have i>assed 
 
 Since then, und with tlusm that diminished race 
 
 Whose l»irclien lle(!t,s those; inky waters glass(!d, 
 
 As tliey swept o'er them with the wind's swift pace. 
 
 Of tlieir wild legends scarce I'cmMins a trace; 
 
 'I'hon hold'^t the; myriad secn^ts in thy brain, 
 
 Oh stattdy blulfsl as well seek to elface 
 
 The liglit of tln^ l)less'd stars, as to obtain 
 
 From thy sealed, granite lips, tradition or refrain ! " 
 
 "That is striking poetry," said Mr. Win- 
 tlirop. " Tlit3 author deserves to l)e better 
 known I Uut th(^ wild legends of the past 
 have not entirely passed away. Now and 
 then, one eonies across an old legend or story 
 among a set of fellows like our voi/cif/eur 
 friends there." 
 
 " Yes," said Hugh, " that is one reason why 
 I should like to ex[)lore the wilds about 
 Lnkc St. John ! I think one might pick up 
 from our guides some old stories that would 
 be interesting. But I was reading, this morn- 
 ing, a pathetic little legend which is said 
 
238 JouM the lUtcf to tl«C j!Ci(. 
 
 4» 
 
 to be still cherished among the IMontagnais 
 Iiidiaiis, coiiceriiiug one of the pious Jesuit 
 Fathers, who was wont long ago to minister 
 in that liLtlegrey church at Tadousac." 
 
 " Oh, do tell it to us ! " said Kate and Nel- 
 lie, in a breath ; and Hugh readily complied, 
 telbng the tale, in substance as follows: 
 
 " One of the most benignant and beloved 
 of these pioneer missionaries was Pere La 
 IJrosse, the last of the old Jesuit Fathers of 
 Tadousac, and the story of his 'Passing' 
 reads almost like a French-Indian version of 
 the ' Passing of Arthur.' Strange, how that 
 wistful, pathetic interest, clustering round 
 the death of the good and gentle and strong, 
 crops up everywhere, among all sorts and 
 conditions of men ! 
 
 " Well, the story runs, that, at the close of 
 an April day, spent as usual in fulfilling 
 the duties of his pastoral office among his 
 Indian converts, the venerable Father had 
 spent the evening in cheerful converse with 
 some of the French officers of the post. As 
 he rose to leave them, to their amazement he 
 solemnly bade them a last adieu, telling them 
 that, at midnight, he would be a corpse, 
 and at that hour the chapel bell would toll 
 
 ei > 
 
Jawtt the JUvcv to the J$c«. 
 
 239 
 
 for his passing soul. lie charged them not 
 to touch his body, but to go at once to the 
 lower end of the He aux Coudres, wliich, 
 you know, we passed yesterday, nuniy miles 
 up the St. Lawrence, and bring tlience ]Mes- 
 sire Compain, wliom they would lind await- 
 ing tliem, and who would wrap liim in his 
 shroud and lay him in his grave. Tliey 
 were to carry out his bidding, regardless of 
 what the weather might be, and he would 
 answer for their safety. Tlie astonished and 
 awe-stricken party of rough traders and In- 
 dians kept anxious vigil, till, at midniglit, 
 the chapel bell began to toll. Startled by 
 the solenm sound at dead of night, they all 
 rushed tremblingly into the church. There, 
 as he had foretold, they found Pere La Brosse, 
 lying prostrate before the altar, liis hands 
 joined in prayer, and the seal of deatli on his 
 tranquil face. With awe-struck sorrow, they 
 watched for dawn, that they might fulfil 
 the father's last command. With sunrise, 
 arose an April gale, but trusting to the [)rom- 
 ise of one who had won their unfaltering 
 trust, four brave men set out on their ap- 
 pointed errand, in a fragile canoe, breasting 
 the big rolling waves, which, however, 
 
-no Joaw the JUvcv to the ^ea. 
 
 socined to n[)L!U a pussiij^e for the fniil liaik, 
 and, ill a inai'VL'llously short time, tliey liii'' 
 reiiehed He auxC'oudres; and there, as IVi. 
 La JJrosse had .said, sat Tc-re Conipain on 
 tiie roeks, hreviary in hand, ready to aeeoni- 
 piiny them haek to do llie hist offices for the 
 dead. lie, too, had re(;eived a mysterious 
 warning. The niglit ht^fore, his eliai)el hell 
 had tolled at midni<^ht foi' a i)assin.i^ soul, 
 and a voice had told him what had happened 
 and what he was ex[)ected to do. And it 
 said, mor(M)ver, that in all the Afissions where 
 Pere La l>rosse had served the chapel bell 
 tolled at the moment of his death." 
 
 " Well ! " exclaimed Mr. Winthiop, " that 
 is a story that OKf//U to be true, bc/f trovato, 
 at least, jis the Italians say, if we only had 
 faith enough. One could almost find it in 
 one's heart to believe it here, in these wild 
 solitudes, even in this degenerate, sceptical 
 age ! " 
 
 " Xow, Hugh," observed Kate, " why 
 shouldn't t/ou write a ' Mori <7e I^dra Tai 
 BroHse'^ (lla Tennyson? I'm sure it would 
 make a lovely poem." 
 
 " Perhaps he will, by and by," said Flora, a 
 little mischievously. " 3Ieantime, I found hi 
 
Jouu the iUvcv ta lUc ^ca. 
 
 lill 
 
 |why 
 lould 
 
 |va, ii 
 lid in 
 
 n 
 
 alxjolc of liis tills soiiiKd oil (';i|M/I'riiiity. I 
 was sure lie was composiii}^' soiiu'lhiiij^- of 
 till! kind!" 
 
 '' Oh, that's not fair ! " said Ilu-h. " That's 
 not revised yet 
 
 IJut there was an nnaniinous demand for 
 the readiiij^ of it, and nnder protest, Hugh 
 allowed Flora to read it. 
 
 " Thou W(';illi('r-beat(!ii watchman, ^rim and Rrcy, 
 Towering inajcstic, with thy regal brow, 
 O'or all the throngini^ hills that scorn to bow 
 In huinhh^ liomago, near and far away ; — 
 Even thy i^^rcat consort seems to own tliy sway, 
 In lier calm i^randcur, scarce less grand than thou 
 Kising, star-crowned, from th dai'k woiid below, 
 So lonely in thy miglit and ni.* jfsty ! 
 Thy rnjiged, storm-scarred forehead to the l)last 
 Thou bar(!st, — all unscreened thy Titan form, 
 I'adiant in sunset, dark in winter storm, 
 So thou hast stood, through countless ages past. 
 What (.'omes or goes, it matters not to thee. 
 Serene, self-poised in triph; unity !" 
 
 As she finished readlny the lines, a rift in 
 the breaking eloiids let a rich gleam of sun- 
 set through, and they caught a brief glimpse 
 of a distant lofty summit, probably Cape 
 Trinity, glowing out in crimson glory, hke 
 a great garnet, set amid the grey mountaui 
 
 curves. 
 16 
 
I 
 
 1142 gown the J^ivcv io the ^<a. 
 
 Tliuy till wiitched it silently, till it passed 
 out of sig;lit in the windings of the stream. 
 It was a sight to carry away as " a joy for- 
 ever," — a fitting parting gleam of the gran- 
 deur of the Saguenay. 
 
 And swiftly it all fades from sight as the 
 veil of twilight lulls once more about them, 
 softening the hard outlines of tlie iron hills 
 into cloud-like phantasms, while the twink- 
 ling lights of Tadousac again gleam out 
 from the shaggy cliffs, soon again to be left 
 behind, as they pass out of the rocky cm- 
 bouc/ufre, under tlie starliglit, into the wide 
 reach of the St. Lawrence and cross its wide 
 expanse to the distant shore, where they 
 stop at length at the long-stretching pier of 
 Kiviere-du-Loup. Tliis time they disem- 
 bark, and are soon driving rupidly along 
 the two mile sweep of curving road, Avitli a 
 late gibbous moon rising above the ti'ces, as 
 they approach tlie straggling environs of 
 Fraserville. They are speedily instidled in 
 a comfortable little French inn, with a plain 
 but comfortable supper before them, and a 
 lively group of French Canadians chatter- 
 ing gayly around them in their rapid patois. 
 As it happens, these prove to be a party of 
 
5ou-n the ?livcv ta the .^ca. 2 13 
 
 the 
 icin, 
 hills 
 •iuk- 
 oul 
 [3 left 
 
 musicians, whose imisie, vocal and instru- 
 nieiital, and gay little French Canadian songs 
 serenade them till irresistible sleep closes 
 eyes more weary with sight-seeing than their 
 owners had before realized. 
 
 Xo one was up very early next morning, 
 for human nature cannot stand perpetual 
 motion. But, as the day was fine, though 
 cool, a carriage was ordered innnediately 
 after breakfast and the whole party were 
 once more oi route^ driving over a straight 
 smooth road to the old IJiviere-du-TiOup, and 
 thence to the noble waterfall, whose wild 
 I)icturesqae beauty seems close to the little 
 town. 
 
 Leaving the carriages, they all walked on 
 by a winding path, till they came to a grassy 
 spur of the slo[»e, jutting out, as it seemed, 
 rather more than half down, close to one 
 side of the fall. Here, though they could 
 not see the whole extent of the cascade, they 
 could get an impressive view of its volume 
 and beauty, as it came thundering down the 
 dark grey height, clad with dusky pines; 
 so that, looking up to the ciest of foliage 
 above, it seemed to come thundering down 
 in snowy spray and foam, out of the very 
 
244 §oxv\\ the ^ivct to the ^tix. 
 
 bosom of tlio primeval forest. To May it 
 seemed almost as grand as iMoulmoreiK^y, 
 though far short of it in heiglit. And, like 
 JVIontmoreney, it vividly brought l)aek the 
 memory of ineomparable Niagara. The 
 si)ell of the falling water, — " falling forever 
 and aye," — had its usual infiuenee on her, 
 and she sat dreaming there, seareely eon- 
 scious of herself or the flight of time, while 
 the rest of the party wandered about, sur- 
 veying the waterfall from other points of 
 view. Hut at last she wasjiroused from her 
 reverie by Hugh, who eame, des[)atehed by 
 Kate, in (piest of her, to bring her down to 
 the foot of the Fall where the others were 
 resting, and where she eould see it, as it were, 
 en iNtisse. 
 
 She lingered a moment, however, reluetant 
 to leave the eharming little nook. " See! " 
 she said to Hugh, as she rose to aceompany 
 him down, — "look at those (^xcpiisile littU; 
 harebells, growing so peaeefully out of that 
 green moss under the very si)ray of this 
 rush of foaming water." 
 
 Hugh smiled as he looked down at the 
 fragile llower, eradled, as it were, in the 
 midst of the turbulent eonnuotion. He 
 
Sowtt the %\\ux to the ^ea. 245 
 
 stooped over and picked two of tlie droop- 
 \n^ blossoms carefully, handing one to May, 
 wliile he studied tlie oilier, in its iri'aceful. 
 
 i> 
 
 delicate beauty. " It is an euilKxlied poem 
 he exclaimed, as they turned slowy away. 
 
 "Then, won't yon write out the po(nn it 
 embodies, for the rest of us to r(>ad?" said 
 IVlay, somewhat timidly, and surprised at 
 her own temerity. 
 
 " If I can, I will," he replied, frankly. " It 
 doesn't idways follow, luH-ause one mny .sw^ 
 an embodied poem, that one can translate 
 it into verse ! " 
 
 At the foot of the Falls, they all sat for 
 an hour or two, enjoying thecom[)rehensive, 
 though somewhat less imi)ressive view of 
 llu; whole fall, as it came rushing down the 
 (lark gorge,], sheets of silvcuy foam and 
 clouds of snowy spray. And here, in a 
 grassy nook, under some trcH's, they sat for 
 some time watching the Falls, Flora declar- 
 ing that it reminded her of some of their 
 finest Scottish waterfalls and also of one or 
 two she had seen in Switzcn'land. IJefon; 
 they left their quiet halting place, Hugh, 
 who had hvv.u sitting very silent for some 
 time, handed (piietly to May, a leaf from his 
 
246 §tfmx iht 3\vtx to the ^tn. 
 
 note-book, on which, with much satisfaction, 
 she read the following lines : — 
 
 "^VTiere the great, thundering cataract tosses high 
 Its crest of foam, 'mid thunders deep and dread, 
 A tiny harebell, from its mossy bed, 
 .Smiles, s-i^ftly blue, to the blue summer sky, 
 And the great roaring flood that rages by, 
 In sheets of foam on the grey rocks outspread 
 But sheds a tender dew upon its head. 
 — Emblem of hearts whose gentle purity. 
 Seeks only heaven in this rude earth of ours ; 
 Dwelling in safety 'mid the roar and din 
 Of human passion, as in sheltered bowers; 
 Growing in beauty, 'mid turmoil and sin, 
 — Keeping the hue of heaven, like the flowers, 
 Because they keep the hue of heaven within!" 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed May, looking up from its 
 perusal, " t/iui is almost just what I was 
 thinking about it, myself, only I couldn't put 
 it into words like that! " 
 
 "I'm glad I happened to catch your 
 thought," he re[)lied. " Kec'[) the lines for 
 yourself, if you care for them, in memory of 
 this pleasant day." 
 
 " We've had so many pleasant days ! " 
 said May, — wistfully, — for she felt tliat they 
 were fast drawing to a close. And if the 
 young men really took that canoe trip up 
 
goivu the iUvci' tu the ^tiu '247 
 
 the Saguenay, their party would be divided 
 during the sojourn at Murray IJay, — their 
 hist halting place. I>ut she felt that she 
 could never lose the memory of that delight- 
 ful journey, and all its enjoyments. 
 
 After going hack to the hotel for an early 
 dinner, they ordered the carriages again and 
 drove in the soft afternoon sunshine, — now 
 beginning to assume a slightly autumnal 
 air, over the low, level stretch of sandy road, 
 leading through skirting spruce and cedar, 
 to the long straggling settlement of Cacouna, 
 mainly composed of summer cottages, with 
 its hotels and little church. i\Iost of the 
 cottages are scattered along a high sloping 
 bank, just above the sea-like river, where 
 the bathing, albeit lacking the surf, is al- 
 most as good as in the open sea. The Arm- 
 strongs had friends residing in Cacouna for 
 the summer, and the party drove directly 
 to their cottage, where they met witli a most 
 cordial welcome, were shown all the sights 
 of the vicinity, and finally regaled with 
 " afternoon tea " on the veranda, from 
 whence tliey enjoyi^l one of the grand sun- 
 sets for which Cacouna is famous, the bold 
 hills on the north shore, here ethereali/.ed Ijy 
 
248 Jjottn the gii'tt to tht ^ta. 
 
 J» 
 
 distance, — reflectiiii^ the glory of the rich 
 sunset slcy in tlie most exquisite tones of 
 purple and rose. 
 
 Next morning, the little party took an 
 early train from lUviere-du-Loup, on the In- 
 tercolonial IJailway, to see the remainder of 
 the river shore as far as Bic, where the <4nlf 
 may almost be said to begin, and the river 
 end. It was a charming ride along the high 
 land a little back from the river, yet still 
 occasionally in sight of it, with the grjind 
 hills of tJie north shore looking cloudlike 
 and remote, as they came into view of the 
 beautiful bay of Bic, surrounded l)y its 
 noble hills, with its picturesque coves, its 
 level beach, and its wide flats, studded witli 
 black rocks. Away in the distance, beyond 
 the tall bluffs which guard the mouth of the 
 bay, and the ishuKls which also protect its 
 harbor, lay the deep blue wooded island of 
 Bic, and beyond that, again, the far distant 
 north shore, looking like a cloud of mist on 
 the horizon. Here thej^ had to stop, for, 
 beycmd that, the railway leaves tlie river to 
 wind its way through the ravines of ]\rotis, 
 and then over the hills to tlic famous vnlley 
 of tile Matapedia, whose charms, fascinating 
 
Joivu the $\ixx\' to the ^cix, 24i) 
 
 niul 
 
 like 
 
 the 
 
 its 
 
 , its 
 
 ,vith 
 
 01 ul 
 
 the 
 
 t its 
 
 tant 
 t on 
 for, 
 n- to 
 ais, 
 illey 
 Ltiim- 
 
 as tliey are, were not for the travelers — on 
 this journey at least. They spent a few 
 houis [)leasantly at J5ic, stroUhig through 
 its villa^-e, set on a plateau high al)ove the 
 beach, or wandering over tlie flats, where 
 two rivers sluggishly lind the end of their 
 journey, and gathering seaweeds among the 
 little pools and rocks, which renunded the 
 Scotch cousins so strongly of their own sea- 
 side home. They climbed up some of the 
 gentler slopes of the high rugged hills, to 
 get a still wider view, and to feel the bracing 
 salt breath of the sea come sweeping up the 
 river, while Kate descril)ed the beauties of 
 Gaspu, peninsula and basin, and the wonder- 
 ful l*ercc rock, which she had once visited 
 on a voyage down the Gulf; and jNIr. Win- 
 throp told them of ji grim old tradition of 
 the island of Uic, — of a sort of Indian edition 
 of the massacre of Glencoe, when a brancli 
 of the fierce Iroquois had caught a compara- 
 tively helpless band of jMicmacs with many 
 women and children, in a cjive, and had 
 smoked tliem out, to meet death if th(iy 
 escaped it within. 
 
 But they had now reached tlie eastei'U- 
 most limit of their progress — still leaving, 
 
250 §0mx iU Ilim U m ^m. 
 
 as Hugh said, some "Yarrow unvisited." 
 They took tlie returning afternoon train 
 back to Itivicre-du-Loup, for their course 
 must now be " Wcstward-IIo ! " At Rivi6re- 
 du-Loup, they waited for tlie Saguenay boat, 
 and re-embarked for JMurray Bay, whicli 
 they reached about midnight, landing at the 
 high pier under tlie pale ghostly light of the 
 waning moon, which gave a strange unreal 
 look to the houses on the shore, and espe- 
 cially to the strjingely shapen rock, which, 
 rising solitary near the point, gives it its 
 name of " Point Au Pic " (or Pique). There 
 were an abundance of caliches in waiting, 
 and the travellers distributed themselves 
 among these, and were soon driven along the 
 straggling village street to their destination, 
 — the " Central Hotel," chosen by Kate on 
 account of its delightful view. But the 
 " Central " was too full for so large a party, 
 as the landlord declared with many regrets, 
 — so the ladies were accommodated very 
 comfortably at the "Warren House, next 
 door, while the young men were put up 
 temporarily at the " Central " as they in- 
 tended leaving on their canoe trip very early 
 in the week. 
 
50UU the llivcv U the ^fiu 251 
 
 May had been feeling that, since this trip 
 began, she liad liad so many deliglitful im- 
 pressions, that she could scarcely find room 
 for any more. But the first sight of the 
 grand vista of no])le hills that enfold Mur- 
 ray ]>ay, as it were, in tlieir embrace, gleam- 
 ing out under snowy mists, in the fair 
 breezy morning, made her feel that she had 
 by no means lost the receptive power, and 
 that she hiid much to see and admire yet. 
 It was a peaceful Sunday morning, and a 
 Sabbath rest seemed to enwrap the blue hills 
 that encompassed the long bay, receding in 
 lovely curves and peaks behind each other, 
 till they were lost in a soft vagueness of 
 distance. Just about the middle of the long- 
 curve of the bay, and showing whitely 
 against a background of deep green woods, 
 a white church stood out as a sort of centre 
 to the little brown French village that clus- 
 tered about it on both sides of the ]\[urray 
 River. Below the bridge, stretched long 
 brown sands with a strip of blue watcu* in 
 the middle, ;uid a three-masted vessel lying 
 stranded by the receding tide ; — while just 
 across the bay, narrowed by the low tide, 
 rose the long bold headland of Cap li 1' Aigle, 
 
252 gouu the ^'mv U the ^ciu 
 
 jutting fur out into the wide blue expanse 
 of the St. Lawrence, bounded on the south- 
 ern sliore by a wavy line of soft blue and 
 puri»le hills, glistening with silvery specks, 
 which were, in reality, distant French vil- 
 lages. Tt was a feast to the eye, a refresh- 
 ing to tlie whole being, simply to sit there 
 and take in the lovely vista. INIay, for one, 
 was glad tliat it was Sunday, and that, 
 therefore, there could be no excursions, but 
 that she could sit quietly there as long as 
 she liked, — dreaming or thinking, or readhig 
 a little of the old Scripture poetry about the 
 "Everlasting hills;" — but ever and anon 
 looking up to see the realization of words 
 which had formerly left on her mind a rather 
 vague impression of their meaning. Noth- 
 ing which she had seen seemed to her so 
 satisfying to her ideal of beauty. Niagani 
 had its own solitary overpowering grandeur, 
 but no surrounding scenery. The Saguenay 
 hills were too stern in their solemn splen- 
 dor. At Quebec, the view seemed almost 
 too wide, too complex; but this charming 
 valley, with its l)rown-beached blue bay, 
 nestling amongst these richly wooded hills, 
 with rank after rank of mountain tops, — as 
 
< 
 
 |loa*u the Jlivcr ta the ^ca. 
 
 253 
 
 deur, 
 leniiy 
 plen- 
 most 
 ming 
 bay, 
 hills, 
 i. — -as 
 
 they seemed to her, fiidinj^ jiway into the 
 distant ])hie, seemed to have all the unity 
 and beauty of a well-composed picture, and 
 to satisfy her imagination without her 
 knowing why. Flora was in an ecstasy. 
 The scene reminded her strongly of some 
 of her own Highland glens; and Hugh and 
 she were soon eagerly comparing it with 
 one after another of their favorite resorts, 
 — tracing its points both of resemblance and 
 of dissimilarity. 
 
 The young men of the party liad taken 
 an early l)atli, and pronounced the water 
 very bracing indeed, but also decidedly 
 cold — too cold, they thought, for the girls 
 to attempt; notwithstanding which, how- 
 ever, Kate and Flora announced their inten- 
 tion of trying it next day. At eleven they 
 all went to church at a neat little chapel 
 close by, built for the use of the l*rotestant 
 visitors, and used alternately for an Episco- 
 palian and a Presbyterian service, an in- 
 stance of brotherly unity which might be 
 hideflnitely extended. To Flora's great sat- 
 isfaction, (for she was a staunch little Scot- 
 tish church woman,) the service that day 
 happened to be the Presbyterian one — the 
 
25i gowtt the Jtlivfv tu the ^ti\. 
 
 first time, slie observed, tliiit she had had 
 tlie pleasure of attending her own service 
 since she liad left her native land. To Hugh 
 it did not matter, she observed, for he liked 
 one just as well as another, to which he re- 
 plied that he was by no means so superior 
 to the power of association, which must, in 
 most cases, after all, determine our ecclesi- 
 astical preferences. 
 
 As there was no evening service, an even- 
 ing stroll in Nature's great temple around 
 them was proposed instead, for which the 
 young people were ready enough after the 
 long, quiet day of rest. Mrs. Sandford, who 
 had not yet recovered from the fatigue of 
 so incessant travelUng, preferring to sit on 
 the veranda with her book, — the latter 
 taking the place of her knitting-needles, 
 whicli lately had had an unusual respite. 
 Nellie Armstrong, however, who had a head- 
 ache, elected to stay with her, so the rest 
 started, perhaps all the more satisfied, ' 
 ing off naturally — Mr. Winthro] ' 
 with. Kate; Jack Armstrong a\ . hi\ , 
 while Hugh and May were left as iiHwitaole 
 companions. May, as on some similar < '*^a- 
 sions, felt at first slightly uncomfortable ; 
 
5ou« the Jlivcr to the ^cii. 
 
 255 
 
 but this f(3cliiij^ soon woro olf, for Hugh and 
 she hud become excellent conimdes, and 
 now found numy subjects for conversation ; 
 and she felt that he had by this time ac- 
 cepted Ml'. Winthrop as a permanent factoi* 
 in the situation, and was determined to 
 make the best of it. And May in her heart 
 esteemed him idl the more for the clieerfnl- 
 ness with which he had adapted himself to 
 the inevitable! 
 
 They walked, by a rambling footpath, 
 along the sandy, reedy shore of the bay, un- 
 til they had at length to betake themselves 
 to the ordinary road, striking it close to a 
 I^icturesque old mill, with a little waterfall 
 plashhig over the moss-grown old water- 
 wheel, just as she had so often seen it hi 
 pictures of English scenery. They reached 
 the French village of Murray Bay, and 
 passed close to tlie white church which had 
 yiade the centre of the picture in the dis- 
 tance, and the pretty little I*reshytb'e^ with 
 its shady garden-walks overlooking the 
 river, on one of which May discerned a 
 black-cassocked figure, in whom she imme- 
 diately conjured up a modern Pere La 
 Brosse. Then on, past the little brown 
 
iiijci Jotttt tht 'Sivn to ihc ^oa. 
 
 4* 
 
 French lioases, with their steep roofs and 
 baleonies, iiiid t''ly, if hare, extei'iors, — each 
 one apparently pv^ssessing- its great wooden 
 cupboard, and large box stove for the cold 
 winter days. Crossing the bridge over the 
 Murray, from which there was a lovely 
 view up the valley, into the heart of the 
 hills, they held on their way U}) the wooded 
 slope beyond, past a little memorial chapel 
 under the shadowing pines, which inter- 
 ested the girls so nuicli that they declared 
 they must get the key and see the interior 
 some day; anu then onward l)y an open, 
 breezy bit of road, skirting on one side un- 
 dulating woods, gilded by slanting sunlight, 
 and on the other alfording glimpses of pleas- 
 ant manorial residences between them and 
 the river. And then thev came out on the 
 high table-land of the " ( Wy)," from whence 
 they could see the wide river ex[)a?ise, now 
 taking on soft hues of rose, and purple, and 
 opal, and the far distant hills beyond, also 
 glorified by the sunset. 
 
 But May's steps had begun to flag a lit- 
 tle, and her cheek to grow rather pale, and 
 Hugh sfiid that he was sure she was tired, 
 and proposed that they should go 'lo farther, 
 
^omx the otUvcr U the ^ca. 
 
 25' 
 
 but take Ji rest until tlic others returned. 
 May looked rathtjr wistfully at Kate and 
 P'loni, still ste])[)in<;' on, evidently unwc;;- 
 ried. IJiit idtliough niueh stron^'er than 
 when she hiid left home, ^hiy was not so 
 strong, yet, as the other two, and it \\as of 
 no use to pretend thiit she was not very 
 Lired. 
 
 "Let us walk baek to that pine-crested 
 blutr," s;d(l Hugh. "There we can sit (piite 
 comfortably till the others eome baek." 
 
 They strolled back very slowly, and it oc- 
 curred to ^lay, cl j)r(^j>()s of ]\('v own fatigue, 
 how^ mueh more Hugh could stand than he 
 could have done a month ago ; imd how sel- 
 dom even "Auntl]ella" now worried him 
 willi well-meant exhortations to take extra 
 care. The outdoor life of the past weeks 
 had certainly done wond(;rs for this sun- 
 Imrnt, active young man, with elastic step 
 and iirm tread, who seemed so dilferent ii 
 being from the pale and som(!what languid 
 stranger to whom she had been first intro- 
 duced. Ihit she soon forgot everything else 
 in the fair scene that lay at their feel, half 
 screened by the pine bougiis that drooped 
 above them ; for iiu fairer view had greeted 
 17 
 
258 §0mx the llivcv tu the ^e«. 
 
 her during the whole journey. Opposite, 
 iicross the hlue hay helow them, hiy Point 
 au TMc, with its pier unci its nioninnental 
 rock, its struggling cottages, and the long, 
 hilly, wooded ridge that swept I'ound the 
 corner of the hay on the other side. To 
 their left lay the hroad, sunset-flushed 
 river, with the wavy line of delicate hues 
 heyond it. The two watched the lovely 
 glow of color for some time in silence. At 
 last, when the sce'.;e was swiftly taking on 
 the grayness of evening, Hugh remarked : 
 
 "How many lovely evenhigs we have 
 seen! And this seems almost the loveli(ist 
 of all." 
 
 "Yes. It almost makes one sad to think 
 that they are nearly all past," — she replied, 
 with a little wistful sip:h. 
 
 " I don't know that it KlionhJ^ however," re- 
 plied Hugh. " We can't lose their mem(.- 
 ries and their influences. IVmt seems to he- 
 come part of ourheing, and we shall always 
 he the richer for it. You know 'a thing of 
 heauty is a joy forever.' Do you know," he 
 contilnied, after a pause, as May did not re- 
 ply, "this great river on Avhicli we have 
 been wandering so long, seems to me to pre- 
 
§mn the Wixvtv io the ^ea. 259 
 
 re- 
 
 iiys 
 
 of 
 
 he 
 
 : I'C- 
 
 lave 
 
 pre- 
 
 sent a very fuir parable of human life. It 
 conies, like Wordsworth's version of our 
 infancy, out of the mysterious majesty of 
 Niagara, and that great sea-like lake. Then 
 it has its trancpiil svuuiy morning amid tlie 
 lovely mazes of the Thousand Islands,which, 
 like ourselves, it seems reluctant to forsake, 
 for the more work-a-day rural stretch be- 
 low. Then comes the strenuous time of 
 conflict, — the '• stiir)}i and dnuKj'* period of 
 the rapids, and then the calm strength, the 
 gradual expansion, the growing dignity of 
 a noble life, till at last we have this exqui- 
 site sunset, glorifying a river that is swiftly 
 passing on, to lose itself in tlie great ' silent 
 sea,' symbolizing the beauty of the same rich 
 and noble life, passing away from its old fa- 
 miliar shores to lose itself in the boundless- 
 ness of eternity." 
 
 " I think you have got material for another 
 poem there," May observed, smiling, though 
 touched by the emotion which seemed to 
 have carried him on unconsciously. She and 
 Hugh had got into the way of talking about 
 his literary endeavors. There was another 
 p;uise, and then IFugh looked up fi'om his 
 note-book, into which he had been looking. 
 
200 
 
 §oxc\x i\xt JUvct U the ^a. 
 
 " Do you recollect," he asked, " a lovely 
 inorniiig we had, just after comhig to Su- 
 mach Lodiji-e ? " 
 
 " Yes," rei)lied May, promptly, " the morn- 
 ini;' you rowed me over to that pretty little 
 island, when the river was so calm, and it 
 all looked so lovely." 
 
 " And T wrote some verses there, which I 
 should like to read to you, to see how you 
 like them. May I?" 
 
 INIay looked a little perplexed, for she had 
 not forgotten that he had seemed anxious 
 that she should 7iot see them, then, and with 
 her uUeJl.re of his hopeless passion for Kate 
 — she had connected those verses in some 
 way with that imaginary romance. How- 
 ever, she listened with great interest to his 
 low toned reading : 
 
 In gloaiii of pale, translucent amber woke 
 
 The perfect August day, 
 Tlirouf^h rose-flushed bars of pearl and opal broke 
 
 The sunlight's golden way. 
 
 Serenely the placid river seemed to flow 
 
 In tide of amethyst, 
 Save where it rippled o'er the sands below, 
 
 And granite boulders kissed ; 
 
SouMt tUc ^:tircr ta the §ra. i^Ol 
 
 The heavy woodland masses hung unsf irred 
 
 )ke 
 
 In lanifuorous shuidjer dec 
 
 )') 
 
 While, from their green reet.vsses, one small bird 
 Piped to her brooil — asleep. 
 
 The clustering lichens wore a tenderer tint, 
 
 The rocks a warmer glow ; 
 The emerald dewdrops, in the sunbeam's glint, 
 
 Gemmed the rich moss below. 
 
 Oui fairy shallop idly stranded lay, 
 
 Half mirrored in the stream ; 
 Wild roses drooped above the tiny bay, 
 
 Ethereal as a dr<'am. 
 
 You sat upon your rock, a woodland queen, 
 
 As on a granilc! throne ; 
 All that still world of loveliness serene 
 
 Ilelil but us twain alone. 
 
 Nay ! IJut there seemed anotiier presence there 
 
 Beneath, around, al)ove ; 
 It breathed a poem through the crystal air, 
 
 Its name was Love ! " 
 
 May listcncfl to the poem with a ratlior 
 bewildered feelin<^: it was so different from 
 what slie had expected. IJitt ji'ra(hially the 
 images sngg-ested by it took possession of 
 her mind to theoxohision of other tl)on.^'hts, 
 and she scarcely noticed the closinj]^ lines, in 
 the pleasure which it gave her to have that 
 
202 gou'u the %V\vt\' to the ^ea. 
 
 lovely nionrm.L;- so vividly recalled. Uiil 
 Hugh seemed to look for more iliaii ilie [)l(!iis- 
 \uv, she I'rjudcly expressed. lie was sihml 
 for a few moments, then sa,id in a vei\y low 
 tone, looking straight into her eyes, " I thiidc 
 that what brought the poem was my hnding 
 out, then, t/tat Ilooed i/o/.'.f'' 
 
 ]\[ay was utterly taken l)y surprise, whieh 
 indeed, overpowered every other feeling. 
 She had not a v/ord to say. Hugh saw how 
 unprepared she had been for his avowal. 
 Pi'esently she managed to stammer out, "1 
 thought it w;is — Kate ! " 
 
 '' I /i-/H)<o you did, at first," he replied, 
 "l)ut I thought you must have known bet- 
 ter, iioir/ I haven't acted very mu(;h like 
 a jealous lover, have I, since JMr. Winthroi) 
 appeared on the scene? And any one could 
 see how that was going to turn out. No, 
 jMay, Tm sure Fve tried to make yon un- 
 derstand !, " 
 
 I>ut IMay still sat silent, in a sort of dazed 
 bewilderment. At last, the ludicrous aspect 
 of the mistake -all her sincere, misplaced 
 sympathy with Hugh in troubles which 
 were entirely of her own imagining, struck 
 her so vividly that she laughed outright, 
 
Jjau'u the lliict to thr ^ca. '203 
 
 bct- 
 liko 
 
 could 
 No, 
 Al- 
 
 though her liiiigh hud a ralhor hystericiil 
 iiott3 ill it, and sho I'clL thai il was most iii- 
 ap[)i'opi'iato to so serious a crisis. l>ut the 
 personal aspect of tlie allair, slie could not 
 yet at all take in. Ihii;-h laughed a little, 
 too, readi y; hv.v thoughts; but presently 
 he said gravely enough : " Well, .^lay, now 
 that the mistake is ch^ared U[), you're not 
 going to say you can't care lorme! Why 
 should we not travel down the riv(!r of life 
 together? I mean down the river to the 
 sea," — he added pleadingly. 
 
 "Oh, jNIr. Macnab," she re[)lie(l, at last, 
 "it is so strange to me! I don't j^oeni able 
 to realize it. And I have never thought of 
 you in that w^'iy." 
 
 "Well, dear," he said, gently, "I won't 
 hurry you; but you and I are very good 
 friends, 1 think, wdiich is an excellent begin- 
 ning, and I don't see why we couldn't be 
 something more. I>ut take plenty of time to 
 find out ! I'll promise to be ])atieut mean- 
 time. Only, as I am going away to-morrow 
 for a few days, T wanted to try my fate, at 
 least, and make sure that you knew my 
 feelings before I left — for one never knows 
 what may turn up." 
 
204 Down the Jlivi'v to the ^ca. 
 
 i 
 
 May's face changed when he spoke of the 
 approacliiiig ])ai'ting, which was only, of 
 course, tlie prehule to one of much longer 
 duration, since she herself nnist return 
 home as soon .as the party reached Toronto, 
 on its homeward journey. And the thought 
 gave her a sharp pang which she could not 
 ignore. Still, she w.as not sorry to hear the 
 voices of the others not far off, and to know 
 that this rather end)arrassing tcte-ci-ttte was 
 nearly over. Hugh detained her a moment, 
 however. 
 
 "I won't press you any farther now," he 
 said; "only promise me that you will think 
 about it while I am gone, and perhaps you 
 may be able to answer me as I wish, when 
 I come back." 
 
 May readily promised this, — glad to have 
 a little time to grow familiar with an idea 
 which had seemed so strange to her at first. 
 The rest of the walkw^as very quiet, — Tlugh 
 talking jibout indifferent things, while she 
 found it difficult to keep up conversation 
 at all. 
 
 Next morning it was decided that, as it 
 was too fine a morning to lose, wdiere there 
 was so nmch to see, the whole party should 
 
goun the Itivct to the ^ca. 
 
 205 
 
 irst. 
 
 jugh 
 
 she 
 
 Is it 
 liere 
 )uld 
 
 drive down to the Fulls of the Fraser, tak- 
 ing Innclieon with them, that so they might 
 not have to hurry back until tiie time when 
 the tliree young men should have to tear 
 themselves away from the society whicli, to 
 say tlie trutli, they were all reluctant to 
 leave, — in order to take the steamer down 
 again to Tadousac for the projected canoe 
 trip on the upper Saguenay, and so on to 
 the wilds a])out Lake St. John. As they 
 were to go in cftRches^ however, Mrs. Sand- 
 ford begged off, and Nellie Armstrong was 
 packed into a aiRche with her brother and 
 Flora Macnab — Jack, who was familiar with 
 the vehicle, having volunteered to act as 
 charioteer. 
 
 It was a charming drive on sucli a charm- 
 ing day, — the light cloud-shadows chasing 
 each other over the hills, and causing be- 
 witching effects of light and shade on the 
 distant liills. Their course lay along tlie 
 Murray Hiver for some distance, past the 
 bridge and village, then back among the 
 hills beyond, up and down short hills, so 
 abrupt that tlie descent was often like to 
 jerk the riders olf the little high seats; but 
 Jack assured them all, in his cheery voice, 
 
i* 
 
 206 gown the ^xvtx io the jlea, 
 
 that the c<d(}c/io was at once the easiest and 
 the safest vehicle for these hills, and that 
 every French-Canadian pony knew just how 
 to hehave on such roads, if only his driver 
 gave him fair play. And the French drivers 
 of the other caleches smiled and declared 
 that it was " shoost as de shentleman said." 
 Kate and Mr. Winthrop had of course 
 paired off, so that Hugh and May went to- 
 gether, as a matter of course ; but Hugh ab- 
 stained from the slightest reference of any 
 kind to their conversation of the previous 
 evening, for which JNIay felt duly grateful ; 
 for as yet his declaration seemed to her an 
 unreal dream, and she did not like to think 
 about it, or what seemed to her, a mortify- 
 ing mistake. 
 
 As they left the road altogether, and 
 struck across fields with the utmost reck- 
 lessness about taking down fences, and 
 driving over trackless meadows, they could 
 hear the distant murmur of a waterfall, and 
 soon they came in sight of a small river 
 winding its way to the gorge, into which it 
 speedily disappeared. Then they dismounted 
 from their caliches, and sought a point of 
 view from which they could best see this 
 
J\omx the Ittvct to the .^tw. 
 
 207 
 
 and 
 I'cck- 
 
 and 
 tould 
 
 and 
 river 
 Ich it 
 inted 
 iit of 
 
 this 
 
 lovely waterfall, which rushes down, not in 
 one sheer descent, hut in several lea[)s, over 
 the hrown rocks; so that tlioy could stand, 
 as it were, part of the way down, looking 
 up to the topmost fall, and also far down he- 
 low them, w^here, at the foot of it, there lay 
 a pretty green, level point, on wliich cows 
 were hrowsing under some nohle trees — as 
 charming a pastoral picture as could be 
 found. 
 
 Flora took out her sketch-book and color- 
 box, and set to w^ork diligently to make a 
 few rough sketches from the most favorable 
 points, Jack willingly offering his services 
 in carrying her appliances from place to 
 place, and watching the progress of tlie 
 sketches with an intensity of interest which 
 W'as slightly embarrassing to the artist and 
 somewhat amusing to Nellie, who declared, 
 to Jack's indignation, that she had never 
 known before that he took so much interest 
 in artistic pursuits. Jack, however, was a 
 most amiable critic, ready to admire gener- 
 ously all the work of Flora's nimble fingers, 
 each sketch being, in his opinion, "awfully 
 pretty ; — you'd know it anywhere ! " IMean- 
 time the rest of the party strolled about, 
 
208 §own i'ht ^ivtx to the ^ca. 
 
 
 ¥ 
 
 finding out new jioints of view, iuul oxplor- 
 in<^ pretty nooks, till it was time to set out 
 the simple luncheon of sandwiches, cold 
 fowl, coffee, and l)lue})erry pi(s after the due 
 discussion of which it was necessary to set 
 out at once on the return trij) — in the order 
 in which they had come. 
 
 When they drove up to the hotel they 
 were met by the intellij^ence that the (Que- 
 bec steamer was in sight, and that tliey 
 must drive down to the pier at once. The 
 young men's valises were quickly thrown 
 into the caliches, and they all drove to the 
 pier, to find the big white steamboat just ap- 
 proaching the point. There Avas a hurried 
 and, truth to tell, a reluctant leave-taking on 
 the part of the intending voi/((f/eur,% \\ho 
 declared that they would be sure to be back 
 in about a week ; and then the steamer gnvc^ 
 her parting whistle and they were off, their 
 waving hats and handkerchiefs being soon 
 lost in the distance, Hugh had just said to 
 May, in a low tone, at parting, — keeping her 
 hand for a few seconds closely pressed in 
 his own, "Don't forget your promise — or 
 me — while I am gone," and May had replied 
 only by a smile, from which, perhaps, tears 
 
gauJtt the i^ivcr to the jica. 
 
 209 
 
 tears 
 
 were not very far away. At all events, 
 there was a strange, inexplieable <fr/to in 
 her heart, as the four girls walked slowly 
 baek to the hotel, a trifle less merrily than 
 was their wont. 
 
 It was curious indeed, what a blank there 
 seemed to be, now that three out of their 
 number were goue, though no one except 
 3Irs. Sandford and Nellie were willing 
 to admit it in words. As for May, she 
 could not help feeling that she missed Hugh, 
 in particular, at every turn ! His low-toned 
 voice and slightly Celtic accentuation seemed 
 to be perpetually in her ear, and every 
 particular charm of the landscjipe seemed 
 to recall his always quick appreciation of 
 such beauty. Some occasion on which she 
 wanted to appeal to him for sympathy or 
 appreciation was constantly turning up; 
 and she found herself perpetually laying u\) 
 a stock of things about which she wanted 
 to talk to him, when he should return. She 
 had no idea how nnicli he had gradually be- 
 come a part of her life, and how important 
 his ever-ready sympathy had come to be, 
 nntil the lack of that sympathy made itself 
 so strongly felt. If she had not been so 
 
270 §oxv\x the Jlivfv io the feu. 
 
 simply iiiul drejiniily romiinlic, so free from 
 egoistic self-consciousness, she would never 
 have made the mistiike she had done, and, 
 even now there was a constant stru;4\L;le 
 between the instincts of her heart and the 
 power of the hrndy-rooted im[)ression. Kate, 
 who had divined the real state of the case, but 
 had been afraid to enlighten her cousin 
 too suddenly, now ventured on a little good- 
 humored chaffing ; but with great and praise- 
 worthy caution. Seeing that IVIay sensi- 
 tively shrank from the subject, she soon 
 desisted. 
 
 Whatever Kate's own sense of loss may 
 have been in the absence of Mr. Winthro[), 
 she was not the sort of girl to Jet the ab- 
 sence of the three young men take away all 
 the zest of the pleasure of Murray ]>ay. She 
 constituted herself the leader of the little 
 paity, and the four girls and Mrs. Sandford 
 had what diey all voted as a " very quiet, 
 pleasant time," in w^liich they took things 
 easily and enjoyed themselves just as the 
 fancy seized them. They strolled abont the 
 beach in the sunny mornings, wdiile Flora 
 sketched the vista of distant hills, and a 
 gentle inquisitive French Canadian would 
 
Jlauu the Jlivcv U the j^a. 271 
 
 come up to look respectfully iit the sketch 
 of "JVIiideinoiselle," aiid to express his ad- 
 iiiiraliou of " the /'c^c/Z/^o' " with wliieh she 
 accomplished the task of coloring-, evideutly 
 an inscrutable mysteiy to him, though he 
 declared that he could draw " in cntijon.Hy 
 Kate and Flora occasionally tried a dip into 
 the cold waters of the bay, but their expe- 
 rience was not sulliciently encouraging to 
 tempt the otlier two, and IVIrs. Sandford 
 shook her head, and declared that she con- 
 sidered it unsafe for any of them. But they 
 enjoyed watching the sturdy cliildren who 
 daily rushed in for a few moments and 
 then came out with skins as red as h )sters, 
 laughing, and rosy, and ready for any lumi- 
 ber of races on the beach afterwards. They 
 went to inspect the neighboring "Fresh 
 Air" establishment, originated by a benevo- 
 lent lady of Montreal, and maintained by 
 private beneficence, where a number of con- 
 valescents, old and young, I'cceived witliout 
 r'^st, the benefit of the pure bracing air and 
 lovely scenery, a true and refr >]iing in- 
 stance of Christian charity. They explored 
 over and over again the road leading past 
 the long strips of farm and pasture land 
 
 •V 
 
272 Jown the llivcr to the ^>a. 
 
 which run up the hill tliiit overhung it, and 
 tlio lililc I'^rciudi fiirm-houses, with the curi- 
 ous cliiy ovens which stood near them, but 
 quite detached, and sometimes on the other 
 side of the road, and which Flora was so 
 delighted to see and sketch; and the long 
 struggling French village, and the little 
 chapel on the hill, whicli was so disappoint- 
 ing on a near ac(][uaintance. Tliey scraped 
 acquaintance with the simple French folk 
 and talked to the polite village children, 
 v/honi they met, so respectful in their ad- 
 dress, and whom Flora delighted by includ- 
 ing some of them in a sketch from the 
 bridge. They wandered down the road to the 
 l)ier, between the rows of sunnuer cottages, 
 and roamed ai)(>ut the pretty grounds of the 
 "Lome House," where some old friends of 
 Kate's were staying, and lounged away an 
 hour or so, inspecting the little Indian huts 
 and booths at the pier, and the various 
 wares therein disi)layed, and the dark im- 
 passive faces of the Indian vendors, and 
 purchased all manner of little souvenirs, toy 
 canoes, snowshoes, toboggans^ birch-bark 
 napkin rings and other pretty trifles, as 
 presents for the people at home ; while Flora 
 
 Iff 
 
goivu the 3[Uvcv to the ^ca. 273 
 
 as 
 flora 
 
 sketched the curiously sha[)ed rock whic'li 
 has so often stood for its picture. Or tliey 
 strolled up the hillside among the fragriuit 
 spruce and cedar, and enjoyed the charm- 
 ing views from thence of Cap-a-l'Aigie and 
 the river and hay, and examined the primi- 
 tive little wooden aqueducts that led the 
 water from springs on the hill, to the houses 
 down helow. Everything was as quaint and 
 primitive as Normandy, Flora declared, ex- 
 cept only the manners and dress of the sum- 
 mer visitors ! 
 
 And sometimes they went on little canoe 
 parties with those friends of Kate's at the 
 " Lome House," — up the winding Murray 
 Kiver under the bridge, from which Flora 
 took a pretty sketch, and on for some dis- 
 tance farther, picking their way among the 
 brown shallows and stones which narrowed 
 the navigable water of the stream. Or tliey 
 would drive up the solitjiry Quebec road, 
 among its aromatic pine woods, and ]>ast 
 its little clearings, with their patches of to- 
 bacco and maize and littie log cabins, and 
 the [)eculiar exhilarating nroma of the moun- 
 tain air; — or by another pretty road to the 
 picturesque cascade of " Les Trous " beside 
 
 m 
 
 '1*1 
 
274 gouu the fsh'it to the ^m. 
 
 which they took their luncheon, and spent 
 the best part of an arieruoon. And so the 
 days went quickly by — happily enough, and 
 on Saturday, May found herself realizing 
 that the travellers would very soon be back. 
 Iliilf a dozen other expeditions were still 
 reserved for the last few days, after the 
 party should be reunited, before they should 
 leave for the \V*^st. But these plans, like 
 many other human projects, were not des- 
 tined to be realized. For Monday morning 
 brought INiay a letter, containing an unex- 
 pected summons to return home at once, as 
 her father and mother were called away by 
 the illness of a relative, and her presence as 
 eldest daughter was needed at home. Dearly 
 as May loved her nome and ready as she 
 was to comply with and obey the summons, 
 this hastening of her departui'p from Mur- 
 ray Bay was a gren t disappointment, in more 
 ways than one. There was, however, no 
 boat before Tuesday night, and as M. ;. 
 »Sandford had begun to feel anxious herself 
 to return home, and would not hear of let- 
 ting May go back alone, it was finally decided 
 in a cabinet council, that they should arrange 
 to take their departure by the Tuesday's 
 
gawtt the giver to the ^ea, 275 
 
 as 
 
 Iseli 
 
 llet- 
 
 ded 
 
 |nge 
 
 boat, and that, in case the young men had 
 not returned by that time, tliey could follow 
 and overtake them somewhere on the way. 
 May's heart had sunk more than she could 
 have believed, when she contemplated the 
 possibility that Hugh might return and find 
 her gone ! She had not in the least made 
 up her mind as to what she should say to 
 him, when he did return, and, even if she 
 herself cared ever so muuii, she could not 
 see how she could possibly be ever separated 
 from her home, nor indeed, could she as yet 
 bear to think of that aspect of the affair. 
 But she could not help feeling it no small 
 trial to return without seeing him again ; 
 apart from the disappointment that she 
 knew it would be to him should he return 
 only after her departure. And as Mrs. 
 Sandford was always reminding them, so 
 many things might happen to detain the 
 voyageurs^ for they intended to find their 
 way back somehow, by land, through the 
 wilds that lay between Murray Bay and 
 Lake St. John. 
 
 'i hat evening she could not settle down 
 with the others on the veranda, but wan- 
 dered down alone to the beach and took her 
 
276 ^mn i\it %Vxm to the ^ca. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 seat on one of their faArorite rocks. It had 
 been a day of thunder showers with lovely 
 bursts of sunshine between, and some of the 
 glorious rainbows so frequent there ; and 
 now, after a golden sunset, breaking through 
 l)urple clouds, the bright tints were fading 
 out of the sky and from the great gray 
 sti'etch of water, on whose breast some 
 stately ships were gradually disappearing 
 from view. The scene vividly recalled to 
 her mind Hugh's parable of human life, 
 and his unexpected application of it. A 
 sense of the evanescence of all beautiful 
 things and all human enjoyments had taken 
 hold of her, and the tears welled up in her 
 soft gray eyes as she said in her heart a 
 mute farewell to the lovely scene around 
 her, which Had so fascinated her, and her 
 mind went wistfully back over all the fair 
 scenes she had belu'ld since the day on which 
 she had set out, full of happy anticipation. 
 How much better it had all been than even 
 her brightest antii'ijiations ! A vesper spar- 
 row — our Canadian nightingale — was carol- 
 ling sweetly close at hand, and its song 
 seemed to bring back to her the sweet 
 refrain of the old song : — 
 
 
Jowtt the giver to the ^e«. 277 
 
 *' Sweet the lev' rock's note, an' lang, — 
 Wildly liltin' doiin the glen ; — 
 But, to me, he sings ae sang 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 
 a 
 
 )n. 
 
 ten 
 
 ir- 
 
 lol- 
 
 iet 
 
 The last line seemed to liiiunt her with 
 an indescribable pathetic intonation. She 
 rose to go back in order to fight oil' thoughts 
 that were too much for her when lo ! a famil- 
 iar step sounded close to her, and a well- 
 known voice was in her ear, with a low- 
 toned, « Well, May ? " 
 
 And May, startled and overjoyed, could 
 scarcely exclaim, — " Oh, Hugh ! is it really 
 you ? " and then, for all answer to his ques- 
 tion, she burst into tears. Perhaps this was 
 almost answer enough, but it encouraged 
 Hugh to go on, and to secure a still better 
 and more satisfying one, before they re- 
 turned together to join the rest, and to ex- 
 change quiet congratulations and a little 
 teasing with Kate, whose engagement to 
 Mr. Winthrop was now definitely admitted. 
 Jack Armstrong looked very wistful and 
 rather envious over the two engaged couples, 
 but the merry Flora is inscrutable, and 
 whether his warm admiration will ever be 
 
278 §0wn i\tt ^ivix io the ^en. 
 
 returned is still a matter of conjecture to 
 both Kate and May. 
 
 The three voyageurs had many adventures 
 to relate and much to say about the wild 
 beauty of the upper Saguenay, its portages^ 
 waterfalls, tributary streams, and especially 
 about the solitary beauty of the lonely Lake 
 St. John. Hugh declared that he would not 
 have missed it on any account, and that^ as 
 he remarked, sotto voce, to May, was, in 
 the circumstances, saying a good deal. Mr. 
 Winthrop was to write a description of it 
 for an American periodical, and Jack Arm- 
 strong declared it would give enough to talk 
 about, and excite other fellows with envy, for 
 the next year, at all events. 
 
 And the last day at Murray Bay, was, 
 after all. happier than May in her lonely 
 reverie of the preceding evening, had thought 
 possible. They visited several of their 
 favorite haunts during the morning, and it 
 was wonderful how much Hugh and May 
 had to say to each other, — said Kate, mis- 
 chievously, careless of the retort that " Peo- 
 ple who lived in glass houses needn't throw 
 stones." In the afternoon they took a long 
 drive along the Cap-a-PAigle heights, watch- 
 
Sown the Wiivtx io the Jfea. 279 
 
 ing another gorgeous sunset bathe the hills 
 and river in its exquisite dyes. And as 
 these once more faded into the greyness of 
 twilight, and the stars gleamed out, and the 
 white sails of a large vessel that had caught 
 the last -low of day, became dimly spectral 
 in the distance, Hugh whispered to May, as 
 they turned downwards, and away from the 
 beautiful scene they had been contemplating : 
 " And now, dearest, what can we desire 
 better, than the hope of the long voyage to- 
 gether down the great river to the silent 
 sea?" 
 
 THE END.