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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4503

(/a

CIHM/ICMH

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Series.

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!^>

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Oy-^'

DOWN THE RIVER TO
THE SEA

MISS MACHAR

NEW YORK

HOME BOOK COMPANY
45 Vesey Street

/ff^.

C»PYRlCillTI£U, iSo},

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

§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\\.

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

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.

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

|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.

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

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^.

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«.

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."

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»

[tory.

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-

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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,

■ I

§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*

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

»•'

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.

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.

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.'*

§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

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

§0wn the "^ivtv U iht ^a.

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

§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.

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

§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.

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-

§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.

•• 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

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.

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

^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.

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."

§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«.

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

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.

" 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

§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.

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

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.

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.

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

§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.

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

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.

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

§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.

" 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

§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.

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

§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.

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

§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.

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.

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.

"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.

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

§0wn the ^xvtx to the J*e».

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».

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

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.

"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,'

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.

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

§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

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.

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.

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.

§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*

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

§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.

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

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 ? "

Ijawn the Jftitcr to the ^ca.

»_

"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

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.

** 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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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTIeR, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

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g0Wtt the pvw to the ^ea.

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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

l£

L^»

gawn the 'giva to the ^cu.

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

§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.

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

T ^ /W'

"j^*'"WV</ '*

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.

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

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

'■} c-J^-^'

'Vk'*"^

^yr>

v^T

■i. ..y

UT*

J-yK/ "

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

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.

;.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

§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.

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

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

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

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.

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

184

Jijutt the ^ivm* to tlte ^'ca.

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

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-

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

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

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

il
i ii
II
il

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.

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

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.

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

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-

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

gomx the 'iVmv to the ^ou 165

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

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

•«,

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.

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 < ■'

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».

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
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^/ ■ /<^ «

i/l

1.0

I.I

1.25

liiilllM IIIII2.5

1.4

IIIIIM IIIIIZ2

*- IIIIIM

II 1.6

"c*l

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

^<6

<6?

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4503

'1?

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

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'^

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

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-

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«.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

: 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.

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,

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

'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

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 ?

)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.