Down the River to the Sea

the surging mass of falling water, the snowy clouds that perpetually veiled and unveiled it, the iridescence that floated elusively amid their ever-shifting billows,

rown-eyed, rather pale girl, who sat so absorbed in the wonderful grandeur of the scene before her, was not quite sure whether she was the same May Thorburn, who, only a few days before, had been all engrossed in the usual endless round of home duties, sweeping, dusting, or stitching away at the family mending (and how much mending that family needed!), and trying to squeeze in, between these homely avocations, a little of the poetry and music in which her soul deligh

Canada was the immediate occasion of this present trip. Kate, who had repeatedly gone over the whole ground before, and knew it well, wished to act the part of cicerone herself, while her kind, though somewhat peculiar aunt, Mrs. Sandford, was the chaperone of the little party. It had bee

lls at last, and of getting her first glimpse of them. She only vaguely heard, in an unreal sort of way, Kate's eager account of her cousins-how "nice" and amiable Flora was, and how well she could sketch; and how Hugh, though very quiet, was very clever, too,-had taken honors at college, had so

n hurried her on into the hotel and up to her room, which, to her delight, commanded a splendid view of the Horse-shoe Fall, on which she could feast her eyes at leisure to her heart's content. And now, indeed, anticipation and faith were swallowed up in sight! She had, of course, frequently seen photographs of the great cataract, so that the outl

s is t

my fancy

lly a waki

ded, "no 'waking dream'

This is Flora, and this is her brother Hugh. You don't need any formal introduction. Kate will be down in a moment, and you are all going for a long stroll, she says, for which I don't feel quite equal

of anxiety. "And, indeed, you need taking care of," she said, in answer to his attempted disclaimer. "You know you're under orders not to o

is pale face had flushed a little at the allusion to his semi-invalidism, which had been the immediate cause of his journey to Canada. His sister

as this quiet-looking young man must be. It seemed much easier to talk to the frank and merry Flora, who tripped on by her side, looking very fresh and trim and tourist-like, in her plain gray traveling hat and gray tweed dress, made as short as a sensible fashion would allow, and showing off to perfection a lithe, we

cer 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 o

finite grandeur 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 obscuring the fall itself, as they float across the boiling caldron,-sometimes partially dispersed and spanned by the soft-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 points she could get better views of individual details, but no nobler view of the mighty whole, than fr

minent than it used to be years ago. At every turn they paused, lost in the grandeur of the present impression. It was Kate wh

self-annihilation, the 'Nirvana' we read about. I don't wonder at su

look after him, Kate." Hugh replied only by a half smile, but May noticed his heightened color and the absorbed expression of his

there seeming 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

its name, which means 'Thunder of Wate

describes the impression it makes," said

d Kate; "shall we walk on-it's

said Hugh, "if the res

ve them, to their right, Kate pointed out the railway track along which they had come

e that from there, nor realize it at all! But the grandeur of the scale quite took my breath away. It was li

expresses my own feelings when I saw them firs

words; I'm trying to 'grow u

a calmly winding river where the constant shower-bath of the spray keeps the foliage and the ferns at their greenest and freshest; and the

minutes at the Burning Spring, to look, as in duty bound, at that natural curiosity, and then settled themselves comfortably in the carriage they had hailed, while Kate gave the order to return by Prospect Drive, along the bluffs above, w

uld have had you driven to Lundy's Lane,-only about a mi

dy's Lane?" inquired Hugh Mac

Kate replied. "Lundy's Lane is where the British troops and Canadian volun

of such things as battle-grounds in connection with Niagar

is something about it in my guide book; so you can read up in the evenings all about Lundy'

xquisite ethereal tints, the iris on the clouds of spray so delicately bright, that their gaze was co

know, we shall have the moon, and a lovel

t, 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 s

e full view of both of the magnificent falls and of the boiling, white caldron below, and the 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 the 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 exciting 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 in 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 the headlong torrent. The thundering sheet filled their ears with its mighty music, and as they could now see its outline curved inwards almost as much as that of the "Horse-shoe" itself, for, of course, the action of f

yance at the 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

on you will almost forget that you are on the

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,

Macnab, as Kate told some stories of the deadly strength of

ralizing," retorted Kate. "

the prevailing 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

is the grandest, af

ndary-line runs somewhere about the middle of the river. The Americans

ed Hugh, "as they certainly can't take it aw

ey could scarcely mark the center of the abyss, whose almost apple-green tint was every moment hidden by the perpetually ascending clouds of

r here from which you could look down on all this wild raging commotion, feeling the strong stone structure t

cination of the scene, till roused by Kate's call, when she discovered that Hugh Macnab had lingered also, absorbed in the

t in a vague sense of 'the Immensities,'" remarked Hugh, as they joined t

and hurry on, or Aunt Bella will be certainly

they at last came up with Aunt Bella, seated on

er finger on her lips, saying: "We are all here, Auntie, quite

g happened there, years ago. It makes me faint, just to think of

imed with delight over its wonderful combination of beauty and terror, its glancing, silvery sheen and terrible velocity, as it rushed past them at headlong speed, on to the misty depths below. And while they stood fascinated by the sight, Kate told them the tale of the tragedy which had happened there on one b

. "What a penalty for a momentary thoughtles

he little party, as they turned s

rong-that the deity of the Falls demanded a victim yearly. There is scarcely a year in which more than one vi

rned 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 columns of falling water, which filled in the view in every direction. Presently, three frightful figures in bulky garments of yellow oilskin emerged from the building at the foot of the stairs, from two of which they presently, to their great amusement, 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 them, 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 support Goat Island high overhead, the pathway became comparatively dry, and they could see more clearly before them the great Fall they were approaching from beneath-its tremendous wall of fleecy foam ri

when you got in behind

visible seemed swallowed up in a gray mist, but the whole experi

ntented with what I

se of having missed something, but, after

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, enjoying the wonder and novelty of the sight. May gazed into the mysterious cavern before her, veiled by the clouds of milky

ion, "Oh, here they are at last!" recalled her absorbed senses, and she perceived the dripping f

etween those two lovely falls, till you felt as if you were actually a par

were shining through the dripping moisture, and his face, so f

satisfied with seeing? The grandest sights only se

them, which had been ordered to come back to meet them, and discovered, to their surprise, that they would have to drive home as rapidly as possible if they wished to be at the Clifton in 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 righ

up her outlines, gave the strangers a few particulars as to the historical associations of the locality. "You see," she said, "all this frontier was the natural scene of hostilities 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

rainy day to-morrow, and, when it once begins, I shouldn't won

o dreadful just now," said Kate. "We'll

ay, dull, unpromising, as even a July day can sometimes look. May was rather mournful over the loss of the light and color, and the general change that had come over the landscape. But Kate persisted in her

s gone, but the soft gray tones melting away into gray mist, under a gray sky, gave the effect

ching for a promising gleam of blue, Kate proposed a p

ow, let us order a carriage and take a nice leisurely drive all about the country. We've seen the Falls pretty w

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 sh

smoothly along the road that led away from the river, through

war, in 1814, and it began in October, 1812, at Queenston Heights, which we are going to see thi

thers used to harass my Scot

n, 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 guidebook says, they stayed there, though t

a plucky lot of fellows; no disgrace to t

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; and, as there 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 commander. She succeeded in getting through the Yankee lines, and arri

hing, "that was a brave woman. Such an exploit as that, in o

Kate replied. "May knows all about them, and I have no dou

traditionary 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, until recalled by Mrs. Sandford

e had no fancy for tobogganing, especially on dry land! And, indeed, the dizzy speed at which they descended was not altogether unlike tobogganing-at least, according to Kate-which, Hugh said, was some satisfaction, since he should not be able to enjoy the thing itself. At the foot of the rapid descent they had 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 compressed into a narrow channel of about a hundred yards between the high precipitous banks, till the confined and chafing stream seemed to rise into a ridge of great seething, foaming waves, tossing their heads up like small geysers, or waterspouts, some twenty feet high, as they dashed furiously against each other with all the force of the strong hidden currents. Just here, where the river swerved suddenly to the right, the sweep of the river round the American cliff made a sort of back-eddy in the bay formed by the receding he

ent one for it

recalls Schiller's 'Diver,' though, which has been haunting

Lytton's translation of it, and re

erse or two of your own

id any," he said, smiling, "for it's th

bit of it, do,"

zas that might do for a description of the present sce

it seethes, and it

uggled fierce

y-cloud from its

ing floods e

remote, with its l

stream from the d

es a lull in th

the midst o

gapes in the

rds to botto

urges, swift, rus

hirlpool are en

whispered to May that the whole translation was in the new book that was nearly ready. "But it is so str

agedy, not unlike that of "The Diver," which had been recently enacted there, the feat of a bold swimmer, who

y enough for the place without inventing

ed to ply 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 rapid

on the part of the girls, lest the stout chain should part while they were on the way. Rejoining Mrs. Sandford, who had grown very impatient, they were soon in the carriage again, but before pursuing their onward way they made a little détour, 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.

gles that lie round Queenston Heights, ascending the noble eminence, crowned by a stately shaft, which had been for some time looming before them in the distance. This height, Kate declared, was a natural monument, marking the Thermopyl? of Canada. But when

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 Lewiston, close to the river, just below. Immediately beneath them the rugged heights fell away abruptly to the ri

we saw raging away up there?" though May, listening attentively, c

gh. "But are we not goin

ointed out on the last headland at the mouth of the river the little Canadian town of Niagara, which, she informed her Scotch cousins, was almost the oldest town in Ontario, and had even enjoyed the dignity of being its first constitutional capital. Close beside 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

th American troops had stolen silently across the stream, until the gallant "forlorn hope" had made a landing on the Canadian shore; and how the fire of the guns that greeted their passage had roused General Wolfe at Fort George, and brought him 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 progress of the invaders every inch of ground with such desperate valo

l battlefields. Why don't we know more about these affairs at home? Then we might feel more as if Canada were

ed a hero, just as much as Wolfe, though he only

of an ocean, and, at a later time, the boundary of the lake; and that here the Falls are supposed to have made their fi

ogical history don't touch me half so much as a little bit of human interest. That battle you

bout it when we get home, in a Canadian story I have, called 'For

le village, embowered among its orchards below, and drove some distance farther on along the road in order that they might enjoy, in returning, the charming view of the Heights, approached from the Niagara side. They followed, for a mile or two, the undulating road which, after leaving the village behind, was skirted with white villas,

posed that, since they were going to take the daily steamer to Toronto from Niagara, on their onward

e liked nothing better than to stay there all summer, feasting eyes and ears on their grandeur. But Hugh Macnab, who owned to the same feeling, added the consoling

y agreed that now, having taken a general survey of the main points of view, they should not attempt any plans for the remaining days, but should spend them i

st impressed them, taking in new beauties which 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

ck 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

eration of the world! It is at all events a pleasant thought to finis

h time in the morning for loitering. Let us be glad

ts last vestige had vanished, and they slowly walked back to the hotel in the starlight, while the g