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diff --git a/40238-8.txt b/40238-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aeb2a7f..0000000 --- a/40238-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9098 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on -Rivers and Lakes of Europe, by John Macgregor - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe - -Author: John Macgregor - -Release Date: July 15, 2012 [EBook #40238] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A THOUSAND MILES IN THE ROB ROY *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, fh and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - - The dagger symbol is denoted by the [+] sign - The asterism symbol is denoted by ** - - * * * * * - - -[Illustration] - - - - - A - THOUSAND MILES - IN THE - ROB ROY CANOE - - ON RIVERS AND LAKES OF - EUROPE. - - BY J. MACGREGOR, M.A., - - TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE; - BARRISTER AT LAW: - - With Numerous Illustrations and a Map. - - _SIXTH THOUSAND._ - - LONDON: - SAMPSON LOW, SON, AND MARSTON - MILTON HOUSE, LUDGATE-HILL. - 1866. - - (_The Right of Translation reserved._) - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The voyage about to be described was made last Autumn in a small Canoe, -with a double paddle and sails, which the writer managed alone. - -The route led sometimes over mountains and through forests and plains, -where the boat had to be carried or dragged. - -The waters navigated were as follows:-- - -The Rivers Thames, Sambre, Meuse, Rhine, Main, Danube, Reuss, Aar, Ill, -Moselle, Meurthe, Marne, and Seine. - -The Lakes Titisee, Constance, Unter See, Zurich, Zug, and Lucerne, -together with six canals in Belgium and France, and two expeditions in -the open sea of the British Channel. - - TEMPLE, LONDON, - _April 25, 1866_. - - - - - THE AUTHOR'S PROFITS FROM THE FIRST AND SECOND EDITIONS, WERE - GIVEN TO THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION AND TO THE - SHIPWRECKED MARINERS' SOCIETY. - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - Page - - RAPIDS OF THE REUSS (_Frontispiece_). -- - - SEA ROLLERS IN THE CHANNEL 19 - - SWIMMING HERD ON THE MEUSE 28 - - SINGERS' WAGGON ON THE DANUBE 49 - - A CROWD IN THE MORNING 65 - - HAYMAKERS AMAZED 80 - - NIGHT SURPRISE AT GEGGLINGEN 93 - - THE ROB ROY IN A BUSTLE 110 - - SAILING UPON LAKE ZUG 134 - - SHIRKING A WATERFALL 152 - - A CRITICAL MOMENT 168 - - ASTRIDE THE STERN 186 - - THE ROB ROY AND THE COW 213 - - POLITE TO THE LADIES 230 - - GROUP OF FRENCH FISHERS 246 - - PASSING A DANGEROUS BARRIER 263 - - A CHOKED CANAL 281 - - RIGGING ASHORE 290 - - ROUTE OF THE CANOE (_Map_) 291 - - CHART OF CURRENTS AND ROCKS 302 - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. Page - - Canoe Travelling--Other Modes--The Rob - Roy--Hints--Tourists--The Rivers--The Dress--I and We 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - The Start--The Nore--Porpoises--A Gale--The Channel--Ostend - Canal--River Meuse--Earl of Aberdeen--Holland--The - Rhine--The Premier's Son--River Main--Heron - Stalking--The Prince of Wales 12 - - - CHAPTER III. - - Hollenthal Pass--Ladies--Black Forest--Night Music--Beds--Lake - Titisee--Pontius Pilate--Storm--Starers--Banket--Four - in hand--Source of the Danube 38 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - River Donau--Singers--Shady nooks--Geisingen--Mill - Weirs--Rapids--Morning Crowd--Donkey's - Stable--Islands--Monks--Spiders--Concert--Fish--A - race 55 - - - CHAPTER V. - - Sigmaringen--Treacherous trees--Congress of herons--Flying - Dutchman--Tub and shovel--Bottle race--Snags--Bridge - Perils--Ya Vol--Ferry Rope--Benighted--Ten eggs 75 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - Day-dream--River Iller--Ulm--A stiff king--Lake Constance--Seeing - in the dark--Switzerland--Coloured - Canvas--Sign talk--Synagogue--Amelia--Gibberish 96 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - Fog--Fancy pictures--Boy soldiers--Boat's billet--Eating--Lake - Zurich--Crinoline--Hot walk--Staring--Lake - Zug--Swiss shots--Fishing Britons--Talk-book 118 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Sailing on Lucerne--Seeburg--River scenes--Night and - snow--The Reuss--A dear dinner--Seeing a rope--Passing - a fall--Sullen roar--Bremgarten rapids 142 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - Hunger--Music at the mill--Sentiment and chops--River - Limmat--Fixed on a fall--River Aar--Rhine again--Douaniers--Falls - of Lauffenburg--The cow cart 159 - - - CHAPTER X. - - Field of Foam--Precipice--Puzzled--Philosophy--Rheinfelden - Rapids--Dazzled--Lower Rapids--Astride--Fate - of the Four-oar--Very Salt--Ladies--Whirlpool--Funny - English--Insulting a baby--Bride 177 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - Private concert--Thunderer--La Hardt Forest--Mulhouse - Canal--River Ill--Reading Stories--Madame Nico--Night - Noises--Pets--Ducking--The Vosges mountains--Admirers--Boat - on wheels--New wine 196 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - Bonfire--My wife--Matthews--Tunnel - picture--Imposture--Fancy--Moselle--Cocher--Saturday - Review Tracts--Gymnastics--The - paddle--A spell--Overhead--Feminine - forum--Public breakfast 216 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - River Moselle--The Tramp--Halcyon--Painted woman--Beating - to quarters--Boat in a hedge--River Meurthe--Moving - House--Tears of a mother--Five francs 234 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Ladies in muslin--Chalons Camp--Officers shouting--Volunteers' - umbrella--Reims--Leaks--Madame - Clicquot--Heavy blow--The Elephant--First Cloud 255 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - Meaux on the Marne--Hammering--Popish forms--Wise - dogs--Blocked in a Tunnel--A dry voyage--Arbour - and Garret--Odd fellows--Dream on the Seine--Almost - over--No admittance--Charing-cross 276 - - - APPENDIX. - - Hints for Canoists--The Rob Roy's Stores--Chart of rocks - and currents--The Kent--Danger--Exercise--Sun--Walking - machine--Odds and ends--Future voyages 291 - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - Canoe Travelling--Other Modes--The Rob - Roy--Hints--Tourists--The Rivers--The Dress--I and We--The - Election. - - -The object of this book is to describe a new mode of travelling on the -Continent, by which new people and things are met with, while healthy -exercise is enjoyed, and an interest ever varied with excitement keeps -fully alert the energies of the mind. - -Some years ago the Water Lily was rowed by four men on the Rhine and on -the Danube, and its "log" delighted all readers. Afterwards, the boat -Water Witch laboured up French rivers, and through a hundred tedious -locks on the Bâle canal. But these and other voyages of three or five -men in an open boat were necessarily very limited. In the wildest parts -of the best rivers the channel is too narrow for oars, or, if wide, it -is too shallow for a row-boat; and the tortuous passages, the rocks and -banks, the weeds and snags, the milldams, barriers, fallen trees, -rapids, whirlpools, and waterfalls that constantly occur on a river -winding among hills, make those very parts where the scenery is wildest -and best to be quite unapproachable in an open boat, for it would be -swamped by the sharp waves, or upset over the sunken rocks which it is -utterly impossible for a steersman to see. - -But these very things, which are obstacles or dangers to the "pair oar," -become interesting features to the voyager in a covered canoe. For now, -as he sits in his little bark, he looks forward, and not backward. He -sees all his course, and the scenery besides. With one powerful sweep of -his paddle he can instantly turn the canoe, when only a foot distant -from fatal destruction. He can steer within an inch in a narrow place, -or pass through reeds and weeds, branches and grass; can hoist and lower -his sail without changing his seat; can shove with his paddle when -aground, or jump out in good time to prevent a decided smash. He can -wade and haul the light craft over shallows, or drag it on dry ground, -through fields and hedges, over dykes, barriers, and walls; can carry it -by hand up ladders and stairs, and can transport his boat over high -mountains and broad plains in a cart drawn by a horse, a bullock, or a -cow. - -Nay, more than this, the covered canoe is far stronger than an open -boat, and may be fearlessly dropped headforemost into a deep pool, a -lock, or a millrace, and yet, when the breakers are high, in the open -sea or in fresh water rapids, they can only wash over the covered deck, -while it is always dry within. - -Again, the canoe is safer than a rowing-boat, because you sit so low in -it, and never require to shift your place or lose hold of the paddle; -while for comfort during long hours, for days and weeks of hard work, it -is evidently the best, because you lean all the time against a -backboard, and the moment you rest the paddle on your lap you are as -much at ease as in an arm-chair; so that, while drifting along with the -current or the wind, you can gaze around, and eat or read or chat with -the starers on the bank, and yet, in a moment of sudden danger, the -hands are at once on the faithful paddle ready for action. - -Finally, you can lie at full length in the canoe, with the sail as an -awning for the sun, or a shelter for rain, and you can sleep in it thus -at night, under cover, with an opening for air to leeward, and at least -as much room for turning in your bed as sufficed for the great Duke of -Wellington; or, if you are tired of the water for a time, you can leave -your boat at an inn--it will not be "eating its head off," like a horse; -or you can send it home or sell it, and take to the road yourself, or -sink into the dull old cushions of the "Première Classe," and dream you -are seeing the world. - -With such advantages, then, and with good weather and good health, the -canoe voyage about to be described was truly delightful, and I never -enjoyed so much continuous pleasure in any other tour. - -But, before this deliberate assertion has weight with intending -"canoists," it may well be asked from one who thus praises the paddle, -"Has he travelled in other ways, so as to know their several pleasures? -Has he climbed glaciers and volcanoes, dived into caves and catacombs, -trotted in the Norway carriole, ambled on an Arab, and galloped on the -Russian steppes? Does he know the charms of a Nile boat, or a Trinity -Eight, or a sail in the Ĉgean, or a mule in Spain? Has he swung upon a -camel, or glided in a sleigh, or trundled in a Rantoone?" - -Yes, he has most thoroughly enjoyed these and other modes of locomotion -in the four corners of the world; but the pleasure in the canoe was far -better than all. - -The weather last summer was, indeed, exceptionally good; but then rain -would have diminished some of the difficulties, though it might have -been a bore to paddle ten hours in a downpour. Two inches more of water -in the rivers would have saved many a grounding and wading, while, at -worst, the rain could have wetted only the upper man, which a cape can -cover; so, even in bad weather, give me the canoe. - -Messrs. Searle and Sons, of Lambeth, soon built for me the very boat I -wanted. - -The Rob Roy is built of oak, and covered fore and aft with cedar. She is -made just short enough to go into the German railway waggons; that is to -say, fifteen feet in length, twenty-eight inches broad, nine inches -deep, weighs eighty pounds, and draws three inches of water, with an -inch of keel. A paddle seven feet long, with a blade at each end, and a -lug sail and jib, are the means of propulsion; and a pretty blue silk -Union Jack is the only ornament. - -The elliptic hole in which I sit is fifty-four inches long and twenty -broad, and has a macintosh cover fastened round the combing and to a -button on my breast; while between my knees is my baggage for three -months, in a black bag one foot square and five inches deep. - -But, having got this little boat, the difficulty was to find where she -could go to, or what rivers were at once feasible to paddle on, and -pretty to see. - -Inquiries in London as to this had no result. Even the Paris Boat Club -knew nothing of French rivers. The best German and Austrian maps were -frequently wrong. They made villages on the banks which I found were a -mile away in a wood, and so were useless to one who had made up his mind -(a good resolve) never to leave his boat. - -It was soon, therefore, evident that, after quitting the Rhine, this was -to be a voyage of discovery. And as I would most gladly have accepted -any hints on the matter myself, so I venture to hope that this narrative -will lessen the trouble, while it stimulates the desire of the numerous -travellers who will spend their vacation in a canoe.[I.] - - [I.] See Appendix. Special hints for those who intend to "canoe - it" will usually be given in the footnotes, or in the Appendix. - -Not that I shall attempt to make a "handbook" to any of the streams. The -man who has a spark of enterprise would turn from a river of which every -reach was mapped and its channels all lettered. Fancy the free -traveller, equipped for a delicious summer of savage life, quietly -submitting to be cramped and tutored by a "Chart of the Upper Mosel," -in the style of the following extracts copied literally from two -Guide-books;-- - -(1) "Turn to the r. (right), cross the brook, and ascend by a broad and -steep forest track (in 40 min.) to the hamlet of Albersbach, situate in -the midst of verdant meadows. In five min. more a cross is reached, -where the path to the l. must be taken; in 10 min. to the r., in the -hollow, to the saw mill; in 10 min. more through the gate to the r.; in -3 min. the least trodden path to the l. leading to the Gaschpels Hof; -after 1/4 hr. the stony track into the wood must be ascended," &c., -&c.--_From B----'s Rhine, p. 94_. - -(2) "_To the ridge of the Riffelberg_ 8,000 ft. _Hotel_ on top very -good. 2 hrs. up. Guide 4 fr. Horse and man 10 fr. Path past the Church: -then l. over fields; then up through a wood 1 hr. Past châlets: then r. -across a stream."-- _----'s Handbook_. - -This sort of guide-book is not to be ridiculed. It is useful for some -travellers as a ruled copy-book is of use to some writers. For first -tours it may be needful and pleasant to have all made easy, to be -carried in steamers or railways like a parcel, to stop at hotels -Anglified by the crowd of English guests, and to ride, walk, or drive -among people who know already just what you will want to eat, and see, -and do. - -Year after year it is enough of excitement to some tourists to be -shifted in squads from town to town, according to the routine of an -excursion ticket. Those who are a little more advanced will venture to -devise a tour from the mazy pages of Bradshaw, and with portmanteau and -bag, and hat-box and sticks, they find more than enough of judgment and -tact is needed when they arrive in a night train, and must fix on an -omnibus in a strange town. Safe at last in the bedroom of the hotel, -they cannot but exclaim with satisfaction "Well, here we are all right -at last!" - -But after mountains and caves, churches and galleries, ruins and -battle-fields have been pretty well seen, and after tact and fortitude -have been educated by experience, the tourist is ready for new lines of -travel which might have given him at first more anxiety than pleasure, -and these he will find in deeper searches among the natural scenery and -national character of the very countries he has only skimmed before. - -The rivers and streams on the Continent are scarcely known to the -English tourist, and the beauty and life upon them no one has well seen. - -In his guide-book route, indeed, from town to town, the tourist has -crossed this and that stream--has admired a few yards of the water, and -has then left it for ever. He is carried again on a noble river by night -in a steamboat, or is whisked along its banks in a railway, and, between -two tunnels, gets a moment's glimpse at the lovely water, and lo! it is -gone. - -But a mine of rich beauty remains there to be explored, and fresh gems -of life and character are waiting there to be gathered. These are not -mapped and labelled and ticketed in any handbook yet; and far better so, -for the enjoyment of such treasures is enhanced to the best traveller by -the energy and pluck required to get at them. - -On this new world of waters we are to launch the boat, the man, and his -baggage, for we must describe all three, - - "Arma virumque canoe." - -So what sort of dress did he wear? - -The clothes I took for this tour consisted of a complete suit of grey -flannel for use in the boat, and another suit of light but ordinary -dress for shore work and Sundays. - -The "Norfolk jacket" is a loose frock-coat, like a blouse, with -shoulder-straps, and belted at the waist, and garnished by six pockets. -With this excellent new-fashioned coat, a something in each of its -pockets, and a Cambridge straw hat, canvas wading shoes, blue -spectacles, a waterproof overcoat, and my spare jib for a sun shawl, -there was sure to be a full day's enjoyment in defiance of rain or sun, -deeps or shallows, hunger or _ennui_. - -Four hours' work to begin, and then three of rest or floating, reading -or sailing, and again, a three hours' heavy pull, and then with a swim -in the river or a bath at the inn, a change of garments and a pleasant -walk, all was made quite fresh again for a lively evening, a hearty -dinner, talk, books, pictures, letters, and bed. - -Now I foresee that in the description of this tour I shall have to write -"I," and the word "me" must be used by me very often indeed; but having -the misfortune to be neither an Emperor, an editor, nor a married man, -who can speak in the plural, I cannot help it if I am put down as a -bachelor _egotist_, reserving the "we" for myself and my boat. - -The manner of working the double-bladed paddle was easily learned by a -few days' practice on the Thames, and so excellent is the exercise for -the muscles of the limbs and body that I have continued it at intervals, -even during the winter, when a pretty sharp "look out" must be kept to -pilot safely among the red and yellow lights of steamers, barges, -embankments, and bridges in an evening's voyage from Putney to -Westminster. - -All being ready and the weather very hot at the end of July, when the -country had caught the election fever, and M.P.'s had run off to -scramble for seats, and the lawyers had run after them to thicken the -bustle, and the last bullet at Wimbledon had come "thud" on the target, -it was time for the Rob Roy to start. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE START. - - The Thames--The Cornwall--Porpoises--A Gale--The - Channel--Ostend Canal--The Meuse--Earl of - Aberdeen--Holland--The Rhine--The Premier's Son--The River - Main--Heron stalking--The Prince of Wales. - - -The Rob Roy bounded away joyously on the top of the tide through -Westminster Bridge, and swiftly shooting the narrow piles at -Blackfriars, danced along the waves of the Pool, which looked all golden -in the morning sun, but were in fact of veritable pea-soup hue. - -A fine breeze at Greenwich enabled me to set the new white sail, and we -skimmed along with a cheery hissing sound. At such times the river is a -lively scene with steamers and sea-bound ships, bluff little tugs, and -big looming barges. I had many a chat with the passing sailors, for it -was well to begin this at once, seeing that every day afterwards I was -to have talk with the river folk in English, French, Dutch, German, or -else some hotchpotch patois. - -The bargee is not a bad fellow if you begin with good humour, but he -will not stand banter. Often they began the colloquy with, "Holloah you -two!" or "Any room inside?" or "Got your life insured, Gov'nor?" but I -smiled and nodded to every one, and every one on every river and lake -was friendly to me. - -Gravesend was to be the port for the night, but Purfleet looked so -pretty that I took a tack or two to reconnoitre, and resolved to stop at -the very nice hotel on the river, which I beg to recommend. - -While lolling about in my boat at anchor in the hot sun a fly stung my -hand; and although it was not remarked at once, the arm speedily -swelled, and I had to poultice the hand at night and to go to church -next day with a sling, which appendage excited a great deal of comment -in the village Sunday-school. This little incident is mentioned because -it was the only occasion on which any insect troubled me on the voyage, -though several croakers had predicted that in rivers and marshes there -would be hundreds of wasps, venomous flies, and gnats, not to mention -other residents within doors. - -Just as I entered the door of the quiet little church, an only gentleman -about to go in fell down dead in the path. It was impossible not to be -much impressed with this sudden death as a solemn warning, especially to -one in vigorous health. - -The "Cornwall" Reformatory School-ship is moored at Purfleet. Some of -the boys came ashore for a walk, neatly clad and very well behaved. -Captain Burton, who commands this interesting vessel, received me on -board very kindly, and the evening service between decks was a sight to -remember for ever. - -About 100 boys sat in rows along the old frigate's main-deck, with the -open ports looking on the river, now reddened by a setting sun, and the -cool air pleasantly fanning us. The lads chanted the Psalms to the music -of a harmonium, played with excellent feeling and good taste, and the -Captain read a suitable portion from some selected book, and then prayer -was offered; and all this was by and for poor vagrant boys, whose claim -on society is great indeed if measured by the wrong it has done them in -neglect if not in precept, nay, even in example. - -Next morning the canoe was lowered down a ladder from the hay-loft, where -it had been kept (it had to go up into many far more strange places in -subsequent days), and the Cornwall boys bid me a pleasant voyage--a wish -most fully realized indeed. - -After taking in supplies at Gravesend, I shoved off into the tide, and -lit a cigar, and now I felt I had fairly started. Then there began a -strange feeling of _freedom_ and _novelty_ which lasted to the end of -the tour. - -Something like it is felt when you first march off with a knapsack ready -to walk anywhere, or when you start alone in a sailing-boat for a long -cruise. - -But then in walking you are bounded by every sea and river, and in a -common sailing-boat you are bounded by every shallow and shore; whereas, -I was in a canoe, which could be paddled or sailed, hauled, or carried -over land or water to Rome, if I liked, or to Hong-Kong. - -The wind was fair again, and up went my sail. The reaches got wider and -the water more salt, but I knew every part of the course, for I had once -spent a fortnight about the mouth of the Thames in my pretty little -sailing-boat, the Kent, alone, with only a dog, a chart, a compass, and -a bachelor's kettle. - -The new steamer Alexandra, which plies from London daily, passed me -here, its high-terraced American decks covered with people, and the -crowd gave a fine loud cheer to the Rob Roy, for the newspapers had -mentioned its departure. Presently the land seemed to fade away at each -side in pale distance, and the water was more sea than river, till near -the Nore we entered a great shoal of porpoises. Often as I have seen -these harmless and agile playfellows I had never been so close to them -before, and in a boat so small as to be almost disregarded by them, wily -though they be. I allowed the canoe to rock on the waves, and the -porpoises frequently came near enough to be struck by my paddle, but I -did not wage war, for a flap of a tail would have soon turned me upside -down. - -After a pleasant sail to Southend and along the beach, the wind changed, -and a storm of heavy rain had to be met in its teeth by taking to the -paddle, until near Shoeburyness, where I meant to stop a day or two in -the camp of the National Artillery Association, which was assembled here -for its first Prize shooting. - -The Royal Artillery received us Volunteers on this occasion with the -greatest kindness, and as they had appropriated quarters of officers -absent on leave for the use of members of the Council of the -Association, I was soon comfortably ensconced. The camp, however, in a -wet field was moist enough; but the fine tall fellows who had come from -Yorkshire, Somerset, or Aberdeen to handle the 68-pounders, trudged -about in the mud with good humour and thick boots, and sang round the -camp-fire in a drizzle of rain, and then pounded away at the targets -next day, for these were volunteers of the right sort. - -As the wind had then risen to a gale it seemed a good opportunity for a -thorough trial of the canoe in rough water, so I paddled her to a corner -where she would be least injured by being thrown ashore after an upset, -and where she would be safe while I might run to change clothes after a -swim. - -The buoyancy of the boat astonished me, and her stability was in every -way satisfactory. In the midst of the waves I even managed to rig up the -mast and sail, and as I had no baggage on board and so did not mind -being perfectly wet through in the experiments, there was nothing left -untried, and the confidence then gained for after times was invaluable. - -Early next morning I started directly in the teeth of the wind, and -paddled against a very heavy sea to Southend, where a nice warm bath was -enjoyed while my clothes were getting dried, and then the Rob Roy had -its first railway journey in one of the little cars on the Southend pier -to the steamboat. - -It was amusing to see how much interest and curiosity the canoe excited -even on the Thames, where all kinds of new and old and wonderful boats -may be seen. The reasons for this I never exactly made out. Some -wondered to see so small a boat at sea, others had never seen a canoe -before, the manner of rowing was new to most, and the sail made many -smile. The graceful shape of the boat pleased others, the cedar covering -and the jaunty flag, and a good many stared at the captain's uniform, -and they stared more after they had asked, "Where are you going to?" and -were often told, "I really do not know." - -From Sheerness to Dover was the route, and on the branch line train the -Rob Roy had to be carried on the coals in the engine-tender, with -torrents of rain and plenty of hot sparks driven into her by the gale; -but after some delay at a junction the canoe was formally introduced to -a baggage-waggon and ticketed like a portmanteau, the first of a series -of transits in this way. - -The London Chatham and Dover Railway Company took this new kind of "box" -as passengers' luggage, so I had nothing to pay, and the steamer to -Ostend was equally large-hearted, so I say, "Canoemen, choose this -channel." - -But before crossing to Belgium I had a day at Dover, where I bought some -stuff and had a jib made for the boat by deft and fair fingers, had -paddled the Rob Roy on the green waves which toss about off the -pier-head most delectably. The same performance was repeated on the top -of the swell, tumbling and breaking on the "digue"[II.] at Ostend, where, -even with little wind, the rollers ran high on a strong ebb tide. Fat -bathers wallowed in the shallows, and fair ones, dressed most bizarre, -were swimming like ducks. All of these, and the babies squalling -hysterically at each dip, were duly admired; and then I had a quieter -run under sail on their wide and straight canal. - -[Illustration: Rollers off the Digue.] - - [II.] At Ostend I found an English gentleman preparing for a - voyage on the Danube, for which he was to build a "centre board" boat. - Although no doubt a sailing boat could reach the Danube by the Bamberg - canal, yet, after four tours on that river from its source as far as - Pest, I am convinced that to trust to sailing upon it would entail much - tedious delay, useless trouble, and constant anxiety. If the wind is - ahead you have all the labour of tacking, and are frequently in slack - water near the banks, and often in channels where the only course would - be dead to windward. If the wind is aft the danger of "running" is - extreme where you have to "broach to" and stop suddenly near a shallow - or a barrier. With a strong side wind, indeed, you can sail safely, but - this must come from north or south, and the high banks vastly reduce its - effect. - -With just a little persuasion the railway people consented to put the -canoe in the baggage-van, and to charge a franc or two for "extra -luggage" to Brussels. Here she was carried on a cart through the town to -another station, and in the evening we were at Namur, where the Rob Roy -was housed for the night in the landlord's private parlour, resting -gracefully upon two chairs. - -Two porters carried her through the streets next morning, and I took a -paddle on the Sambre, but very soon turned down stream and smoothly -glided to the Meuse. - -Glancing water, brilliant sun, a light boat, and a light heart, all your -baggage on board, and on a fast current,--who would exchange this for -any diligence or railway, or steamboat, or horse? A pleasant stream was -enough to satisfy at this early period of the voyage, for the excitement -of rocks and rapids had not yet become a charm. - -It is good policy, too, that a quiet, easy, respectable sort of river -like the Meuse should be taken in the earlier stage of a water tour, -when there is novelty enough in being on a river at all. The river-banks -one would call tame if seen from shore are altogether new when you open -up the vista from the middle of the stream. The picture that is rolled -sideways to the common traveller now pours out from before you, ever -enlarging from a centre, and in the gentle sway of the stream the -landscape seems to swell on this side and on that with new things ever -advancing to meet you in succession. - -How careful I was at the first shallow! getting out and wading as I -lowered the boat. A month afterwards I would dash over them with a shove -here and a stroke there in answer to a hoarse croak of the stones at the -bottom grinding against my keel. - -And the first barrier--how anxious it made me, to think by what means -shall I get over. A man appeared just in time (N.B.--They _always_ do), -and twopence made him happy for his share of carrying the boat round by -land, and I jumped in again as before. - -Sailing was easy, too, in a fine wide river, strong and deep, and with a -favouring breeze, and when the little steamer passed I drew alongside -and got my penny roll and penny glass of beer, while the wondering -passengers (the first of many amazed foreigners) smiled, chattered, and -then looked grave--for was it not indecorous to laugh at an Englishman -evidently mad, poor fellow? - -The voyage was chequered by innumerable little events, all perfectly -different from those one meets on shore, and when I came to the forts at -Huy and knew the first day's work was done, the persuasion was complete -that quite a new order of sensations had been set going. - -Next morning I found the boat safe in the coach-house and the sails -still drying on the harness-pegs, where we had left them, but the ostler -and all his folks were nowhere to be seen. Everybody had gone to join -the long funeral procession of a great musician, who lived fifty years -at Huy, though we never heard of him before, or of Huy either; yet you -see it is in our Map at page 291. - -The pleasure of meandering with a new river is very peculiar and -fascinating. Each few yards brings a novelty, or starts an excitement. A -crane jumps up here, a duck flutters there, splash leaps a gleaming -trout by your side, the rushing sound of rocks warns you round that -corner, or anon you come suddenly upon a millrace. All these, in -addition to the scenery and the people and the weather, and the -determination that you _must_ get on, over, through, or under every -difficulty, and cannot leave your boat in a desolate wold, and ought to -arrive at a house before dark, and that your luncheon bag is long since -empty; all these, I say, keep the mind awake, which would perchance dose -away for 100 miles in a first-class carriage. - -It is, as in the voyage of life, that our cares and hardships are our -very Mentors of living. Our minds would only vegetate if all life were -like a straight canal, and we in a boat being towed along it. The -afflictions that agitate the soul are as its shallows, rocks, and -whirlpools, and the bark that has not been tossed on billows knows not -half the sweetness of the harbour of rest. - -The river soon got fast and lively, and hour after hour of vigorous work -prepared me well for breakfast. Trees seemed to spring up in front and -grow tall, but it was only because I came rapidly towards them. Pleasant -villages floated as it were to meet me, gently moving. All life got to -be a smooth and gliding thing, of dreamy pictures and far-off sounds, -without fuss and without dust or anything sudden or loud, till at -length the bustle and hammers of Liege neared the Rob Roy--for it was -always the objects and not myself that seemed to move. Here I saw a fast -steamer, the Seraing, propelled by water forced from its sides, and as -my boat hopped and bobbed in the steamer's waves we entered a dock -together, and the canoe was soon hoisted into a garden for the night. - -Gun-barrels are the rage in Liege. Everybody there makes or carries or -sells gun-barrels. Even women walk about with twenty stocked rifles on -their backs, and each rifle, remember, weighs 10 lbs. They sell plenty -of fruit in the market, and there are churches well worth a visit here, -but gun-barrels, after all, are the prevailing idea of the place. - -However, it is not my purpose to describe the towns seen on this tour. I -had seen Liege well, years before, and indeed almost every town -mentioned in these pages. The charm then of the voyage was not in going -to strange lands, but in seeing old places in a new way. - -Here at length the Earl of Aberdeen met me, according to our plans -arranged long before. He had got a canoe built for the trip, but a foot -longer and two inches narrower than the Rob Roy, and, moreover, made of -fir instead of strong oak. It was sent from London to Liege, and the -"combing" round the edge of the deck was broken in the journey, so we -spent some hours at a cabinet-maker's, where it was neatly mended. - -Launching our boats unobserved on the river, we soon left Liege in the -distance and braved the hot sun. - -The pleasant companionship of two travellers, each quite free in his own -boat, was very enjoyable. Sometimes we sailed, then paddled a mile or -two, or joined to help the boats over a weir, or towed them along while -we walked on the bank for a change.[III.] - - [III.] Frequent trials afterwards convinced me that towing is only - useful if you feel very cramped from sitting. And this constraint is - felt less and less as you get accustomed to sit ten or twelve hours at a - time. Experience enables you to make the seat perfectly comfortable, and - on the better rivers you have so frequently to get out that any - additional change is quite needless. Towing is slower progress than - paddling, even when your arms are tired, though my canoe was so light to - tow that for miles I have drawn it by my little finger on a canal. - -Each of us took whichever side of the river pleased him best, and we -talked across long acres of water between, to the evident surprise of -sedate people on the banks, who often could see only one of the strange -elocutionists, the other being hidden by bushes or tall sedge. When -talking thus aloud had amplified into somewhat uproarious singing, the -chorus was far more energetic than harmonious, but then the Briton is at -once the most timid and shy of mortal travellers, and the most _outré_ -and singular when he chooses to be free. - -The midday beams on a river in August are sure to conquer your fresh -energies at last, and so we had to pull up at a village for bread and -wine. - -The moment I got into my boat again a shrill whining cry in the river -attracted my attention, and it came from a poor little boy, who had -somehow fallen into the water, and was now making his last faint efforts -to cling to a great barge in the stream. Naturally I rushed over to save -him, and my boat went so fast and so straight that its sharp prow caught -the hapless urchin in the rear, and with such a pointed reminder too -that he screamed and struggled and thus got safely on the barge, which -was beyond his reach, until thus roughly but fortunately aided. - -On most of the Belgian, German, and French rivers there are excellent -floating baths, an obvious convenience which I do not recollect -observing on a single river in Britain, though in summer we have quite -as many bathers as there are abroad. - -The floating baths consist of a wooden framework, say 100 feet long, -moored in the stream, and through which the water runs freely, while a -set of strong bars and chains and iron network forms a false bottom, -shallow at one end and deeper at the other, so that the bather cannot be -carried away by the current. - -Round the sides there are bathing boxes and steps, ladders, and spring -boards for the various degree of aquatic proficiency. - -The youths and even the little boys on the Rhine are very good swimmers, -and many of them dive well. Sometimes there is a ladies' bath of similar -construction, from which a good deal of very lively noise may be heard -when the fair bathers are in a talkative mood. - -The soldiers at military stations near the rivers are marched down -regularly to bathe, and one day we found a large number of young -recruits assembled for their general dip. - -While some were in the water others were firing at the targets for ball -practice. There were three targets, each made of cardboard sheets, -fastened upon wooden uprights. A marker safely protected in a ball-proof -_mantelet_ was placed so close to these targets that he could see all -three at once. One man of the firing party opposite each target having -fired, his bullet passed through the pasteboard and left a clear round -hole in it, while the ball itself was buried in the earth behind, and -so could be recovered again, instead of being dashed into fragments as -on our iron targets, and then spattered about on all sides, to the great -danger of the marker and everybody else. - -When three men had thus fired, signals were made by drum, flag, and -bugle, and the firing ceased. The marker then came out and pointed to -the bullet-mark on each target, and having patched up the holes he -returned within his mantelet, and the firing was resumed. This very safe -and simple method of ball practice is much better than that used in our -military shooting. - -Once as we rounded a point there was a large herd of cattle swimming -across the stream in close column, and I went right into the middle of -them to observe how they would welcome a stranger. In the Nile you see -the black oxen swim over the stream night and morning, reminding you of -Pharaoh's dream about the "kine" coming up out of the river, a notion -that used to puzzle in boyhood days, but which is by no means -incongruous when thus explained. The Bible is a book that bears full -light to be cast upon it, for truth looks more true under more light. - -We had been delayed this morning in our start, and so the evening -fell sombre ere we came near the resting-place. This was the town of -Maastricht, in Holland, and it is stated to be one of the most strongly -fortified places in Europe; that is, of the old fashion, with straight -high walls quite impervious to the Armstrong and Whitworth guns--of a -century gone by. - -[Illustration: CATTLE SWIMMING THE MEUSE. Page 28.] - -But all we knew as we came near it at night was, that the stream was -good and strong, and that no lights appeared. Emerging from trees we -were right in the middle of the town, but where were the houses? had -they no windows, no lamps, not even a candle? - -Two great high walls bounded the river, but not a gate or port could we -find, though one of us carefully scanned the right and the other -cautiously scraped along the left of this very strange place. - -It appears that the commerce and boats all turn into a canal above the -old tumble-down fortress, and so the blank brick sides bounded us thus -inhospitably. Soon we came to a bridge, looming overhead in the -blackness, and our arrival there was greeted by a shower of stones from -some Dutch lads upon it, pattering pitilessly upon the delicate -cedar-covered canoes. - -Turning up stream, and after a closer scrutiny, we found a place where -we could cling to the wall, which here sloped a little with debris, and -now there was nothing for it but to haul the boats up bodily over the -impregnable fortification, and thus carry them into the sleepy town. No -wonder the _octroi_ guard stared as his lamplight fell on two gaunt men -in grey, carrying what seemed to him a pair of long coffins, but he was -a sensible though surprised individual, and he guided us well, stamping -through the dark deserted streets to an hotel. - -Though the canoes in a cart made a decided impression at the -railway-station next day, and arguments logically proved that the boats -must go as baggage, the porters were dense to conviction, and obdurate -to persuasion, until all at once a sudden change took place; they rushed -at us, caught up the two neglected "batteaux," ran with them to the -luggage-van, pushed them in, and banged the door, piped the whistle, and -as the train went off--"Do you know why they have yielded so suddenly?" -said a Dutchman, who could speak English. "Not at all," said we. -"Because I told them one of you was the son of the Prime Minister, and -the other Lord Russell's son." - -But a change of railway had to be made at Aix-la-Chapelle, and after a -hard struggle we had nearly surrendered the boats to the "merchandise -train," to limp along the line at night and to arrive "perhaps -to-morrow." Indeed the Superintendent of that department seemed to -clutch the boats as his prize, but as he gloried a little too loudly, -the "Chef" of the passengers' baggage came, listened, and with calm mien -ordered for us a special covered truck, and on arriving at Cologne there -was "nothing to pay."[IV.] - - [IV.] This is an exceptional case, and I wrote from England to - thank the officer. It would be unreasonable again to expect any baggage - to be thus favoured. A canoe is at best a clumsy inconvenience in the - luggage-van, and no one can wonder that it is objected to. In France the - railway _fourgons_ are shorter than in other countries, and the - officials there insisted on treating my canoe as merchandise. The - instances given above show what occurred in Belgium and Holland. In - Germany little difficulty was made about the boat as luggage. In - Switzerland there was no objection raised, for was not I an English - traveller? As for the English railway guards, they have the good sense - to see that a long light article like a canoe can be readily carried on - the top of a passenger carriage. Probably some distinct rules will be - instituted by the railways in each country, when they are found to be - liable to a nautical incursion, but after all one can very well arrange - to walk or see sights now and then, while the boat travels slower by a - goods-train. - -To be quiet we went to the Belle Vue, at Deutz, which is opposite -Cologne, but a great Singing Society had its gala there, and sang and -drank prodigiously. Next day (Sunday too) this same quiet Deutz had a -"Schutzen Fest," where the man who had hit the target best was dragged -about in an open carriage with his wife, both wearing brass crowns, and -bowing royally to a screaming crowd, while blue lights glared and -rockets shot up in the serene darkness. - -At Cologne, while Lord A. went to take our tickets at the steamer, the -boats were put in a handcart, which I shoved from behind as a man pulled -it in front. In our way to the river I was assailed by a poor vagrant -sort of fellow, who insisted on being employed as a porter, and being -enraged at a refusal he actually took up a large stone and ran after the -cart in a threatening passion. I could not take my hands from the boats, -though in fear that his missile would smash them if he threw it, but I -kicked up my legs behind as we trotted along. One of the sentries saw -the man's conduct, and soon a policeman brought him to me as a prisoner, -but as he trembled now with fear more than before with anger, I declined -to make any charge, though the police pressed this course, saying, -"Travellers are sacred here." This incident is mentioned because it was -the sole occasion when any discourtesy happened to me during this tour. - -We took the canoes by steamer to a wide part of the Rhine at Bingen. -Here the scenery is good, and we spent an active day on the river, -sailing in a splendid breeze, landing on islands, scudding about in -steamers' waves, and, in fact, enjoying a combination of yacht voyage, -pic-nic, and boat race. - -This was a fine long day of pleasure, though in one of the sudden -squalls my canoe happened to ground on a bank just at the most critical -time, and the bamboo mast broke short. The uncouth and ridiculous -appearance of a sail falling overboard is like that of an umbrella -turned inside out in a gust of wind. But I got another stronger mast, -and made the broken one into a boom. - -Lord Aberdeen went by train to inspect the river Nahe, but reported -unfavourably; and I paddled up from its mouth, but the water was very -low. - -Few arguments were needed to stop me from going against stream; for I -have a profound respect for the universal principle of gravitation, and -quite allow that in rowing it is well to have it with you by always -going down stream, and so the good rule was to make steam, horse, or man -take the canoe against the current, and to let gravity help the boat to -carry me down. - -Time pressed for my fellow-paddler to return to England, so we went on -to Mayence, and thence by rail to Asschaffenburg on the Main. The canoes -again travelled in grand state, having a truck to themselves; but -instead of the stately philosopher superintendent of Aix-la-Chapelle, -who managed this gratuitously, we had a fussy little person to deal -with, and to pay accordingly,--the only case of decided cheating I can -recollect during the voyage. - -A fellow-passenger in the railway was deeply interested about our tour; -and we had spoken of its various details for some time to him before we -found that he supposed we were travelling with "two small cannons," -mistaking the word "canôts" for "canons." He had even asked about their -length and weight, and had heard with perfect placidity that our -"canons" were fifteen feet long, and weighed eighty pounds, and that we -took them only for "plaisir," not to sell. Had we carried two pet -cameleopards, he probably would not have been astonished. - -The guests at the German inn of this long-named town amused us much by -their respectful curiosity. Our dress in perfect unison, both alike in -grey flannel, puzzled them exceedingly; but this sort of perplexity -about costume and whence why and whither was an everyday occurrence for -months afterwards with me. - -A fine breeze enabled us to start on the river Main under sail, though -we lost much time in forcing the boats to do yachts' work; and I am -inclined to believe that sailing on rivers is rather a mistake unless -with a favourable wind. The Main is an easy stream to follow, and the -scenery only so-so. A storm of rain at length made it lunch-time, so we -sheltered ourselves in a bleak sort of arbour attached to an inn, where -they could give us only sour black bread and raw bacon. Eating this poor -cheer in a wet, rustling breeze and pattering rain, half-chilled in our -macintoshes, was the only time I fared badly, so little of "roughing it" -was there in this luxurious tour. - -Fine weather came soon again and pleasure,--nay, positive sporting; for -there were wild ducks quite impudent in their familiarity, and herons -wading about with that look of injured innocence they put on when you -dare to disturb them. So my friend capped his revolver-pistol, and I -acted as a pointer dog, stealing along the other side of the river, and -indicating the position of the game with my paddle. - -Vast trouble was taken. Lord A. went ashore, and crawled on the bank a -long way to a wily bird, but, though the sportsman had shown himself at -Wimbledon to be one of the best shots in the world, it was evidently not -easy to shoot a heron with a pocket revolver. - -As the darker shades fell, even this rather stupid river became -beautiful; and our evening bath was in a quiet pool, with pure yellow -sand to rest on if you tired in swimming. At Hanau we stopped for the -night. - -The wanderings and turnings of the Main next day have really left no -impression on my memory, except that we had a pleasant time, and at last -came to a large Schloss, where we observed on the river a boat evidently -English. While we examined this craft, a man told us it belonged to the -Prince of Wales, "and he is looking at you now from the balcony." - -For this was the Duchess of Cambridge's Schloss at Rumpenheim, and -presently a four-in-hand crossed the ferry, and the Prince and Princess -of Wales drove in it by the river-side, while we plied a vigorous paddle -against the powerful west wind until we reached Frankfort, where our wet -jackets were soon dried at the _Russie_, one of the best hotels in -Europe. - -The Frankfort boatmen were much interested next day to see the two -English canoes flitting about so lightly on their river; sometimes -skimming the surface with the wind, and despising the contrary stream; -then wheeling about, and paddling hither and thither in shallows where -it seemed as if the banks were only moist. - -On one occasion we both got into my canoe, and it supported the -additional weight perfectly well, which seemed to prove that the -dimensions of it were unnecessarily large for the displacement required. -However, there was not room for both of us to use our paddles -comfortably in the same canoe. - -On the Sunday, the Royal personages came to the English church at -Frankfort, and, with that quiet behaviour of good taste which wins more -admiration that any pageantry, they walked from the place of worship -like the rest of the hearers. - -There is a true grandeur in simplicity when the occasion is one of -solemn things. - -Next day my active and pleasant companion had to leave me on his return -to England. Not satisfied with a fortnight's rifle practice at -Wimbledon, where the best prize of the year was won by his skill, he -must return to the moors and coverts for more deadly sport; and the -calls of more important business, besides, required his presence at -home. He paddled down the Rhine to Cologne, and on the way several times -performed the difficult feat of hooking on his canoe to a steamer going -at full speed. - -Meantime, my boat went along with me by railway to Freyburg, from whence -the new voyage was really to begin, for as yet the Rob Roy had not -paddled in parts unknown. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - Höllenthal Pass--Ladies--Black Forest--Night Music--Beds--Lake - Titisee--Pontius Pilate--Storm--Starers--Singers--Source of the - Danube. - - -Planning your summer tour is one of the most agreeable of occupations. -It is in June or July that the Foreign Bradshaw becomes suddenly of -intense interest, and the well-known pages of "Steamers and -Railways"--why, it is worth while being a bachelor to be able to read -each of these as part of your sketched-out plan, and (oh, selfish -thought!) to have only one mind to consult as to whither away. - -All this pleasure is a good deal influenced, however, by true answers to -these questions,--Have you worked hard in working time, so as to be -entitled to play in these playhours? Is this to be a vacation of -refreshment, or an idle lounge and killing of time? Are you going off to -rest, and to recruit delicate health, or with vigour to enjoy a summer -of active exertion? - -But now the infallible Bradshaw could not help me with the canoe one -iota, and Baedeker was not written for a boat; so at Freyburg my plans -resolved themselves into the simple direction, "Go at once to the source -of the Danube." - -Next morning, therefore, found the Rob Roy in a cart, and the -grey-clothed traveller walking beside it on the dusty Höllenthal road. -The gay, light-hearted exultation of being strong and well, and on a -right errand, and with unknown things to do and places to see and people -to meet, who can describe this? How easy it is at such times to be glad, -and to think this is being "thankful." - -After moralizing for a few miles, a carriage full of English people -overtook me, and soon we became companions. "The English are so distant, -so silent, such _hauteur_, and gloomy distrust," forsooth! A false -verdict, say I. The ladies carried me off through the very pretty glen, -and the canoe on its cart trundled slowly after us behind, through the -Höllenthal Pass, which is too seldom visited by travellers, who so often -admire the spire of Freyburg (from the railway perhaps), passing it on -their route to Switzerland. - -This entrance to the Schwartzwald, or Black Forest, is a woody, rocky, -and grim defile, with an excellent road, and good inns. - -The villages are of wood, and there is a saw-mill in every other house, -giving a busy, wholesome sound, mellowed by the patter of the -water-wheel. Further on, where tourists' scenery stops, it is a grand, -dark-coloured ocean of hills. The houses get larger and larger, and -fewer and fewer, and nearly every one has a little chapel built -alongside, with a wooden saint's image of life-size nailed on the gable -end. One night I was in one of these huge domiciles, when all the -servants and ploughboys came in, and half said, half sung, their -prayers, in a whining but yet musical tone, and then retired for a -hearty supper. - -Our carriage mounted still among crags, that bowed from each side to -meet across the narrow gorge, and were crested on high by the grand -trees that will be felled and floated down the Rhine on one of those -huge rafts you meet at Strasbourg. But everybody must have seen a Rhine -raft, so I need not describe it, with its acres of wood and its street -of cabin dwellings, and its gay bannerets. A large raft needs 500 men to -navigate it, and the timber will sell for 30,000_l._ - -At the top of this pass was the watershed of this first chain of hills, -where my English friends took leave of me. The Rob Roy was safely housed -in the Baar Inn, and I set off for a long walk to find if the tiny -stream there would possibly be navigable. - -Alone on a hillside in a foreign land, and with an evening sun on the -wild mountains, the playful breeze and the bleating sheep around -you--there is a certain sense of independent delight that possesses the -mind then with a buoyant gladness; but how can I explain it in words, -unless you have felt this sort of pleasure? - -However, the rivulet was found to be eminently unsuited for a canoe; so -now let me go to bed in my wooden room, where the washingbasin is oval, -and the partitions are so thin that one hears all the noises of the -place at midnight. Now, the long-drawn snore of the landlord; then, the -tittle-tattle of the servants not asleep yet,--a pussy's plaintive mew, -and the scraping of a mouse; the cows breathing in soft slumber; and, -again, the sharp rattle of a horse's chain. - -The elaborate construction of that edifice of housewifery called a -"bett" here, and which we are expected to sleep upon, can only be -understood when you have to undermine and dismantle it night after night -to arrive at a reasonable flat surface on which to recline. - -First you take off a great fluff bag, at least two feet thick, then a -counterpane, and then a brilliant scarlet blanket; next you extract one -enormous pillow, another enormous pillow, and a huge wedge-shaped -bolster,--all, it appears, requisite for the Teutonic race, who yet -could surely put themselves to sleep at an angle of forty-five degrees, -without all this trouble, by merely tilting up the end of a flat -bedstead. - -Simple but real courtesy have I found throughout. Every one says "Gut -tag;" and, even in a hotel, on getting up from breakfast a guest who has -not spoken a word will wish "Gut morgen" as he departs, and perhaps "Bon -appetit" to those not satisfied like himself. About eight o'clock the -light repast of tea or coffee, bread, butter, and honey begins the day; -at noon is "mittagessen," the mid-day meal, leaving all proper excuse -for another dining operation in the shape of a supper at seven. - -No fine manners here! My driver sat down to dinner with me, and the -waiter along with him, smoking a cigar between whiles, as he waited on -us both. But all this is just as one sees in Canada and in Norway, and -wherever there are mountains, woods, and torrent streams, with a sparse -population; and, as in Norway too, you see at once that all can read, -and they do read. There is more reading in one day in a common house in -Germany than in a month in the same sort of place in France. - -I had hired the cart and driver by the day, but he by no means admired -my first directions next morning--namely, to take the boat off the main -road, so as to get to the Titisee, a pretty mountain lake about four -miles long, and surrounded by wooded knolls. His arguments and -objections were evidently superficial, and something deeper than he said -was in his mind. In fact, it appears that, by a superstition long -cherished there, Pontius Pilate is supposed to be in that deep, still -lake, and dark rumours were told that he would surely drag me down if I -ventured upon it.[V.] - - [V.] The legend about Pilate extends over Germany and Italy. - Even on the flanks of Stromboli there is a _talus_ of the volcano which - the people dare not approach, "because of Pontius Pilate." - -Of course, this decided the matter, and when I launched the Rob Roy from -the pebbly shore in a fine foggy morning, and in full view of the -inhabitants of the region (eight in number at last census), we had a -most pleasant paddle for several miles. - -At a distance the boat was invisible being so low in the water, and they -said that "only a man was seen, whirling a paddle about his head." - -There is nothing interesting about this lake, except that it is 3,000 -feet above the sea and very lonely, in the middle of the Black Forest. -Certainly no English boat has been there before, and probably no other -will visit the deserted water. - -After this, the Rob Roy is carted again still further into the forests. -Lumbering vehicles meet us, all carrying wood. Some have joined three -carts together, and have eight horses. Others have a bullock or two -besides, and all the men are intelligent enough, for they stop and -stare, and my driver deigns to tell them, in a patois wholly beyond me, -as to what a strange fare he has got with a boat and no other luggage. -However, they invariably conclude that the canoe is being carried about -for sale, and it could have been well sold frequently already. - -About mid-day my sage driver began to mutter something at intervals, but -I could only make out from his gestures and glances that it had to do -with a storm overhead. The mixture of English, French, and German on the -borders of the Rhine accustoms one to hear odd words. "Shall have you -pottyto?" says a waiter, and he is asking if you will have potatoes. -Another hands you a dish, saying, it is "sweetbone," and you must know -it is "sweetbread." - -Yes, the storm came, and as it seldom does come except in such places. I -once heard a thunder peal while standing on the crater of Mount -Vesuvius, and I have seen the bright lightning, in cold and grand -beauty, playing on the Falls of Niagara in a sombre night, but the -vividness of the flashes to-day in the Black Forest, and the crashing, -rolling, and booming of the terrible and majestic battery of heaven was -astounding. Once a bolt fell so near and with such a blaze that the -horse albeit tired enough started off down a hill and made me quite -nervous lest he should overturn the cart and injure my precious boat, -which naturally was more and more dear to me as it was longer my sole -companion. - -As we toiled up the Rothenhaus Pass, down came the rain, whistling and -rushing through the cold, dark forests of larch, and blackening the top -of great Feldberg, the highest mountain here, and then pouring heavy and -fast on the cart and horse, the man, the canoe, and myself. This was the -last rain my boat got in the tour. All other days I spent in her were -perfectly dry. - -People stared out of their windows to see a cart and a boat in this -heavy shower--what! a boat, up here in the hills? Where can it be going, -and whose is it? Then they ran out to us, and forced the driver to -harangue, and he tried to satisfy their curiosity, but his explanation -never seemed to be quite exhaustive, for they turned homeward shaking -their heads and looking grave, even though I nodded and laughed at them -through the bars of the cart, lifting up my head among the wet straw. - -The weather dried up its tears at last, and the sun glittered on the -road, still sparkling with its rivulets of rain, but the boat was soon -dried by a sponge, while a smart walk warmed its well-soaked captain. - -The horse too had got into a cheerful vein and actually trotted with -excitement, for now it was down hill, and bright sun--a welcome change -in ten minutes from our labouring up a steep forest road in a -thunder-storm. - -The most rigid teetotaller (I am only a temperance man) would probably -allow that just a very small glass of kirchwasser might be prescribed at -this moment with advantage, and as there was no "faculty" there but -myself, I administered the dose medicinally to the driver and to his -employer, and gave a bran-mash and a rub down to the horse, which made -all three of us better satisfied with ourselves and each other, and so -we jogged on again. - -By dusk I marched into Donaueschingen, and on crossing the little -bridge, saw at once I could begin the Danube from its very source, for -there was at least three inches of water in the middle of the stream. - -In five minutes a crowd assembled round the boat, even before it could -be loosened from the cart.[VI.] - - [VI.] After trying various modes of securing the canoe in a - springless cart for long journeys on rough and hilly roads, I am - convinced that the best way is to fasten two ropes across the top of a - long cart and let the boat lie on these, which will bear it like springs - and so modify the jolts. The painter is then made fast fore and aft, so - as to keep the boat from moving back and forward. All plans for using - trusses of straw, &c., fail after a few miles of rolling gravel and - coarse ruts. - -The ordinary idlers came first, then the more shy townspeople, and then -a number of strange folk, whose exact position I could not make out, -until it was explained that the great singing meeting for that part of -Germany was to be held next day in the town, and so there were 600 -visitors, all men of some means and intelligence, who were collected -from a wide country round about. - -The town was in gala for this meeting of song. The inns were full, but -still the good landlord of the "Poste" by the bridge gave me an -excellent room, and the canoe was duly borne aloft in procession to the -coachhouse. - -What a din these tenors and basses did make at the table d'hôte! -Everything about the boat had to be told a dozen times over to them, -while my driver had a separate lecture-room on the subject below. - -The town was well worth inspection next day, for it was in a violent fit -of decoration. Every house was tidied up, and all the streets were -swept clean. From the humbler windows hung green boughs and garlands, -rugs, quilts, and blankets; while banners, Venetian streamers, arches, -mottoes, and wreaths of flowers announced the wealthier houses. Crowds -of gaping peasants paraded the streets and jostled against bands -drumming and tromboning (if there be such a word), and marching in a -somewhat ricketty manner over the undoubtedly rough pavement. Every now -and then the bustle had a fresh paroxysm when four horses rattled along, -bringing in new visitors from some distant choir. They are coming you -see in a long four-wheeled cart, covered with evergreens and bearing -four pine trees in it erect among sacks which are used as seats--only -the inmates do not sit but stand up in the cart, and shout, and sing, -and wave banners aloft, while the hundreds of on-lookers roar out the -"Hoch," the German Hurrah! with only one note. - -As every window had its ornament or device, I made one for mine also, -and my sails were festooned (rather tastefully, I flatter myself) to -support the little blue silk English jack of the canoe. This -complimentary display was speedily recognized by the Germans, who -greeted it with cheers, and sung glees below, and improvised verses -about England, and then sang round the boat itself, laughing, shouting, -and hurraing boisterously with the vigour of youthful lungs. Never tell -me again that the Germans are phlegmatic! - -[Illustration: Singers' Waggon.] - -They had a "banket" in the evening at the Museum. It was "free for all," -and so 400 came on these cheap terms, and all drank beer from long -glass cylinders at a penny a glass, all smoked cigars at a farthing a -piece, and all talked and all sang, though a splendid brass band was -playing beside them, and whenever it stopped a glee or chorus commenced. - -The whole affair was a scene of bewildering excitement, very curious to -contemplate for one sitting in the midst. Next me I found a young -bookseller who had sold me a French book in the morning. He said I must -take a ticket for the Sunday concert; but I told him I was an -Englishman, and had learned in my country that it was God's will and for -man's good to keep Sunday for far better things, which are too much -forgotten when one day in seven is not saved from the business, -excitement, and giddiness of every-day life. - -And is there not a feeling of dull sameness about time in those -countries and places where the week is not steadied and centred round a -solid day on which lofty and deep things, pure and lasting things may -have at least some hours of our attention? - -So I left the merry singers to bang their drums and hoch! at each other -in the great hall provided for their use by the Prince of Furstemburg. -He had reared this near his stables, in which are many good horses, some -of the best being English, and named on their stalls "Miss," "Pet," -"Lady," or "Tom," &c. - -An English gentleman whom I met afterwards had been travelling through -Germany with a four-in-hand drag, and he came to Donaueschingen, where -the Prince soon heard of his arrival. Next day His Serene Highness was -at his stables, and seeing an English visitor there, he politely -conducted the stranger over the whole establishment, explaining every -item with minute care. He found out afterwards that this visitor was not -the English gentleman, but only his groom! - -The intelligence, activity, and good temper of most of the German -waiters in hotels will surely be observed by travellers whose daily -enjoyment depends so much on that class. Here, for instance, is a little -waiter at the Poste Inn. He is the size of a boy, but looks twenty years -older. His face is flat, and broad, and brown, and so is his jacket. His -shoulders are high, and he reminds you of those four everlasting German -juveniles, with thick comforters about their necks, who stand in London -streets blowing brass music, with their cheeks puffed out, and their -cold grey eyes turning on all the passing objects while the music, or at -any rate a noise, blurts out as if mechanically from the big, unpolished -instruments held by red benumbed fingers. - -This waiter lad then is all the day at the beck of all, and never gets a -night undisturbed, yet he is as obliging at ten o'clock in the dark as -for the early coffee at sunrise, and he quite agrees with each guest, in -the belief that _his_ particular cutlet or cognac is the most important -feature of the hour. - -I honour this sort of man. He fills a hard place well, and Bismarck or -Mussurus cannot do more. - -Then again, there is Ulric, the other waiter, hired only for to-day as -an "extra," to meet the crush of hungry vocalists who will soon fill the -_saal_. He is timid yet, being young, and only used to a village inn -where "The Poste at Donaueschingen" is looked up to with solemn -admiration as the pink of fashion. He was learning French too, and was -sentimental, so I gave him a very matter-of-fact book, and then he asked -me to let him sit in the canoe while I was to paddle it down the river -to his home! The naïve simplicity of this request was truly refreshing, -and if we had been sure of shallow water all the way, and yet not too -shallow, it would perhaps have been amusing to admit such a passenger. - -The actual source of the Danube is by no means agreed upon any more than -the source of the Nile. I had a day's exploration of the country, after -seeking exact information on this point from the townspeople in vain. -The land round Donaueschingen is a spongy soil, with numerous rivulets -and a few large streams. I went along one of these, the Brege, which -rises twenty miles away, near St. Martin, and investigated about ten -miles of another, the Brigach, a brook rising near St. Georgen, about a -mile from the source of the Neckar, which river runs to the Rhine. These -streams join near Donaueschingen, but in the town there bubbles up a -clear spring of water in the gardens of the Prince near the church, and -this, the infant Danube, runs into the other water already wide enough -for a boat, but which then for the first time has the name of Donau. - -The name, it is said, is never given to either of the two larger -rivulets, because sometimes both have been known to fail in dry summers, -while the bubbling spring has been perennial for ages. - -The Brege and another confluent are caused to fill an artificial pond -close by the Brigach. This lake is wooded round, and has a pretty -island, and swans, and gold fish. A waterwheel (in vain covered for -concealment) pumps up water to flow from an inverted horn amid a group -of statuary in this romantic pond, and the stream flowing from it also -joins the others, now the Danube.[VII.] - - [VII.] The old Roman Ister. The name Donau is pronounced - "Doanou." Hilpert says, "Dönau allied to Dón and Düna (a river)." In - Celtic _Dune_ means "river," and _Don_ means "brown," while "_au_" in - German is "island" (like the English "eyot"). - - The other three rivers mentioned above, and depicted in the plan on the - map with this book, seem to preserve traces of their Roman names. Thus - the "Brigach" is the stream coming from the north where "Alt Breisach" - now represents the Roman "Mons Brisiacus," while the "Brege" may be - referred to "Brigantii," the people about the "Brigantinus Lacus," now - the "Boden See" (Lake Constance), where also Bregentz now represents the - Roman "Brigantius." The river Neckar was "Nicer" of old, and the Black - Forest was "Hercynia Silva." - - The reader being now sufficiently confused about the source of the - Danube and its name, let us leave the Latin in the quagmire and jump - nimbly into our canoe. - -That there might be no mistake however in this matter about the various -rivulets, I went up each stream until it would not float a canoe. Then -from near the little bridge, on August 28, while the singers _sol-faed_ -excessively at the boat, and shouted "hocks" and farewells to the -English "flagge," and the landlord bowed (his bill of thirteen francs -for three full days being duly paid), and the populace stared, the Rob -Roy shot off like an arrow on a river delightfully new. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - The Danube--Singers--Shady nooks--Geisingen--Mill - weirs--Rapids--Morning Crowd--Donkey's - stable--Islands--Monks--Spiders--Concert--Fish--A race. - - -At first the river is a few feet broad, but it soon enlarges, and the -streams of a great plain quickly bring its volume to that of the Thames -at Kingston. The quiet, dark Donau winds about then in slow serpentine -smoothness for hours in a level mead, with waving sedge on the banks and -silken sleepy weeds in the water. Here the long-necked, long-winged, -long-legged heron, that seems to have forgotten to get a body, flocks by -scores with ducks of the various wild breeds, while pretty painted -butterflies and fierce-looking dragon-flies float, as it were, on the -summer sunbeams, and simmer in the air. The haymakers are at work; and -half their work is hammering the soft edges of their very miserable -scythes, which they then dip in the water. Now they have a chat; and as -I whiz by round a corner, there is a row of open mouths and wondering -eyes, but an immediate return to courtesy with a touch of the hat, and -"Gut tag" when presence of mind is restored. Then they call to their -mates, and laugh with rustic satisfaction--a laugh that is real and -true, not cynical, but the recognition of a strange incongruity, that of -a reasonable being pent up in a boat and hundreds of miles from home, -yet whistling most cheerfully all the time. - -Soon the hills on either side have houses and old castles, and then -wood, and, lastly, rock; and with these, mingling the bold, the wild, -and the sylvan, there begins a grand panorama of river beauties to be -unrolled for days and days. No river I have seen equals this Upper -Danube, and I have visited many pretty streams. The wood is so thick, -the rocks so quaint and high and varied, the water so clear, and the -grass so green. Winding here and turning there, and rushing fast down -this reach and paddling slow along that, with each minute a fresh view, -and of new things, the mind is ever on the _qui vive_, or the boat will -go bump on a bank, crash on a rock, or plunge into a tree full of gnats -and spiders. This is veritable travelling, where skill and tact are -needed to bear you along, and where each exertion of either is rewarded -at once. I think, also, it promotes decision of character, for you -_must_ choose, and that promptly, too, between, say, five channels -opened suddenly before you. Three are probably safe, but which of these -three is the shortest, deepest, and most practicable? In an instant, if -you hesitate, the boat is on a bank; and it is remarkable how speedily -the exercise of this resolution becomes experienced into habit, but of -course only after some severe lessons. - -It is exciting to direct a camel over the sandy desert when you have -lost your fellow-travellers, and to guide a horse in trackless wilds -alone; but the pleasure of paddling a canoe down a rapid, high-banked, -and unknown river, is far more than these. - -Part of this pleasure flows from the mere sense of rapid motion. In -going down a swift reach of the river there is the same sensation about -one's diaphragm which is felt when one goes forward smoothly on a lofty -rope swing. Now the first few days of the Danube are upon very fast -waters. Between its source and Ulm the descent of the river is about -1,500 feet.[VIII.] This would give 300 feet of fall for each of a five -days' journey; and it will be seen from this that the prospect for the -day's voyage is most cheering when you launch in the morning and know -you will have to descend about the height of St. Paul's Cathedral before -halting for the night. - - [VIII.] The best geographical books give different estimates of - this, some above and others below the amount here stated. - -Another part of the pleasure--it is not to be denied--consists in the -satisfaction of overcoming difficulties. When you have followed a -channel chosen from several, and, after half-a-mile of it, you see one -and another of the rejected channels emerging from its island to join -that you are in, there is a natural pride in observing that any other -streamlet but the one you had chosen would certainly have been a -mistake. - -These reflections are by the way; and we have been winding the while -through a rich grassy plain till a bridge over the river made it seem -quite a civilized spot, and, just as I passed under, there drove along -one of the green-boughed waggons of jovial singers returning from -Donaueschingen. Of course they recognised the canoe, and stopped to give -her a hearty cheer, ending with a general chorus made up of the few -English words of their vocabulary, "All r-r-r-r-ight, Englishmánn!" "All -r-r-r-r-ight, Englishmánn!"[IX.] - - [IX.] See sketch, _ante_, page 49. - -The coincidence of these noisy but good-humoured people having been -assembled in the morning, when the canoe had started from the source of -the Danube, caused the news of its adventure to be rapidly carried to -all the neighbouring towns, so that the Rob Roy was welcomed at once, -and the newspapers recorded its progress not only in Germany and France, -but in England, and even in Sweden and in America. - -At the village of Geisingen it was discovered that the boiler of my -engine needed some fuel, or, in plain terms, I must breakfast. The -houses of the town were not close to the river, but some workmen were -near at hand, and I had to leave the canoe in the centre of the stream -moored to a plank, with very strict injunctions (in most distinct -English!) to an intelligent boy to take charge of her until my return; -and then I walked to the principal street, and to the best-looking -house, and knocked, entered, asked for breakfast, and sat down, and was -speedily supplied with an excellent meal. One after another the people -came in to look at the queer stranger who was clad so oddly, and had -come--aye, _how_ had he come? that was what they argued about in -whispers till he paid his bill, and then they followed to see where he -would go, and thus was there always a congregation of inquisitive but -respectful observers as we started anew. - -Off again, though the August sun is hot. But we cannot stop now. The -shade will be better enjoyed when resting in the boat under a high rock, -or in a cool water cave, or beneath a wooden bridge, or within the -longer shadow of a pine-clad cliff. - -Often I tried to rest those midday hours (for one cannot always work) on -shore, in a house, or on a grassy bank; but it was never so pleasant as -at full length in the canoe, under a thick grown oak-tree, with a book -to read dreamily, and a mild cigar at six for a penny, grown in the -fields we passed, and made up at yesterday's inn.[X.] - - [X.] Two stimulants well known in England are much used in - Germany,--tea and tobacco. - - (1) The tobacco plant (sometimes styled a weed, because it also grows - wild) produces leaves, which are dried and rolled, and then treated with - fire, using an appropriate instrument, by which the fumes are inhaled. - The effect upon many persons is to soothe; but it impairs the appetite - of others. The use is carried to excess in Turkey. The leaves contain a - deadly poison. - - (2) The tea weed (sometimes styled a plant, because it also grows under - cultivation) produces leaves, which are dried and rolled, and then - treated with fire, using an appropriate instrument, by which the - infusion is imbibed. The effect upon many persons is to cheer; but it - impairs the sleep of others. The use is carried to excess in Russia. The - leaves contain a deadly poison. - - Both these luxuries are cheap and portable, and are daily enjoyed by - millions of persons in all climates. Both require care and moderation in - their use. Both have advocates and enemies; and it cannot be settled by - argument whether the plant or the weed is the more useful or hurtful to - mankind. - -Let it be well understood that this picture only describes the resting -time, and not the active hours of progress in the cooler part of the day -before and after the bright meridian sun. - -In working hours there was no lazy lolling, the enjoyment was that of -delightful exertion, varied at every reach of the river. - -You start, indeed, quietly enough, but are sure soon to hear the -well-known rushing sound of a milldam, and this almost every day, five -or six times. On coming to it I usually went straight along the top edge -of the weir, looking over for a good place to descend by, and surveying -the innumerable little streams below to see my best course afterwards. -By this time the miller and his family and his men, and all the -neighbours, would run down to see the new sight, but I always lifted out -my little black knapsack and put my paddle on shore, and then stepped -out and pulled my boat over or round the obstruction, sometimes through -a hayfield or two, or by a lane, or along a wall, and then launched her -again in deep water. Dams less than four feet high one can "shoot" with -a headlong plunge into the little billows at the foot, but this wrenches -the boot if it strikes against a stone, and it is better to get out and -ease her through, lift her over, or drag her round. - -In other places I had to sit astride on the stern of the canoe, with -both legs in the water, fending her off from big stones on either side, -and cautiously steering.[XI.] - - [XI.] The invention of this method was made here, but its - invaluable advantages were more apparent in passing the second rapid of - Rheinfelden. See _post_, page 186, where described, with a sketch. - -But with these amusements, and a little wading, you sit quite dry, and, -leaning against the backboard, smoothly glide past every danger, lolling -at ease where the current is excessive, and where it would not be safe -to add impetus, for the shock of a collision there would break the -strongest boat. - -If incidents like these, and the scenery and the people ashore, were not -enough to satisfy the ever greedy mind, some louder plashing, with a -deeper roar, would announce the rapids. This sound was sure to waken up -any sleepiness, and once in the middle of rough water all had to be -energy and life. - -I never had a positive upset, but of course I had to jump out -frequently to save the boat, for the first care was the canoe, and the -second was my luggage, to keep it all dry, the sketch-book in -particular, while the third object was to get on comfortably and fast. - -After hours of these pleasures of work and rest, and a vast deal seen -and heard and felt that would take too long to tell, the waning sun, and -the cravings within for dinner, warned me truly that I had come near the -stopping-place for the night. - -The town of Tuttlingen is built on both sides of the river, and almost -every house is a dyer's shop or a tannery, with men beating, scraping, -and washing hides in the water. As I allowed the boat to drift among -these the boys soon found her out--a new object--and therefore to boys -(and may it always be so) well worth a shout and a run; so a whole posse -of little Germans scampered along beside me, but I could not see any -feasible-looking inn. - -It is one of the privileges of this water tour that you can survey -calmly all the whereabouts; and being out of reach of the touters and -porters who harass the wretched traveller delivered to their grasp from -an omnibus or a steamboat, you can philosophize on the whole _morale_ of -a town, and if so inclined can pass it, and simply go on. In fact, on -several occasions I did not fancy a town, so we went on to another. -However, I was fairly nonplussed now. It would not do to go further, for -it was not a thickly-peopled country; but I went nearly to the end of -the place in search of a good landing, till I turned into a millrace and -stepped ashore. - -The crowd pressed so closely that I had to fix on a boy who had a toy -barrow with four little wheels, and amid much laughter I persuaded the -boy to lend it (of course as a great honour to him), and so I pulled the -boat on this to the hotel. The boy's sixpence of reward was a fact that -brought all the juvenile population together, and though we hoisted the -canoe into a hayloft and gave very positive injunction to the ostler to -keep her safe, there was soon a string of older sightseers admitted one -by one; and even at night they were mounting the ladder with lanterns, -women as well as men, to examine the "schiff." - -A total change of garments usually enabled me to stroll through the -villages in the evening without being recognised, but here I was -instantly known as I emerged for a walk, and it was evident that an -unusual attendance must be expected in the morning. - -Tuttlingen is a very curious old town, with a good inn and bad pavement, -tall houses, all leaning here and there, and big, clumsy, -honest-looking men lounging after their work, and wonderfully -satisfied to chat in groups amid the signal darkness of unlighted -streets; very fat horses and pleasant-looking women, a bridge, and -numerous schoolboys; these are my impressions of Tuttlingen. - -[Illustration: MORNING VISITORS. Page 65.] - -Even at six o'clock next morning these boys had begun to assemble for -the sight they expected, and those of them who had satchels on their -backs seemed grievously disappointed to find the start would not come -off before their hour for early school. - -However, the grown-up people came instead, and flocked to the bridge and -its approaches. While I was endeavouring to answer all the usual -questions as to the boat, a man respectfully asked me to delay the start -five minutes, as his aged father, who was bedridden, wished exceedingly -just to see the canoe. In all such cases it is a pleasure to give -pleasure, and to sympathize with the boundless delight of the boys, -remembering how as a boy a boat delighted me; and then, again, these -worthy, mother-like, wholesome-faced dames, how could one object to -their prying gaze, mingled as it was with friendly smile and genuine -interest? - -The stream on which I started here was not the main channel of the -Danube, but a narrow arm of the river conducted through the town, while -the other part fell over the mill-weir. The woodcut shows the scene at -starting, and there were crowds as large as this at other towns; but a -picture never can repeat the shouts and bustle, or the sound of guns -firing and bells ringing, which on more than one occasion celebrated the -Rob Roy's morning paddle. - -The lovely scenery of this day's voyage often reminded me of that upon -the Wye,[XII.] in its best parts between Ross and Chepstow. There were the -white rocks and dark trees, and caverns, crags, and jutting peaks you -meet near Tintern; but then the Wye has no islands, and its muddy water -at full tide has a worse substitute in muddier banks when the sea has -ebbed. - - [XII.] Murray says: "The Meuse has been compared to the Wye; but - is even more romantic than the English river." I would rank the Wye as - much above the Meuse as below the Danube for romance in scenery. - -The islands on beauteous Donau were of all sizes and shapes. Some low -and flat, and thickly covered with shrubs; others of stalwart rock, -stretching up at a sharp angle, under which the glassy water bubbled all -fresh and clear. - -Almost each minute there was a new scene, and often I backed against -the current to hold my post in the best view of some grand picture. -Magnificent crags reached high up on both sides, and impenetrable -forests rung with echoes when I shouted in the glee of health, freedom, -and exquisite enjoyment. - -But scenes and sentiments will not feed the hungry paddler, so I decided -to stop at Friedingen, a village on the bank. There was a difficulty now -as to where the canoe could be left, for no inn seemed near enough to -let me guard her while I breakfasted. At length a mason helped me to -carry the Rob Roy into a donkey's stable, and a boy volunteered to guide -the stranger to the best inn. The first, and the second, and the third -he led me to were all beerhouses, where only drink could be had; and as -the crowd augmented at every stage, I dismissed the ragged cicerone, and -trusted myself instead to the sure leading of that unnamed instinct -which guides a hungry man to food. Even the place found at last, was -soon filled with wondering spectators. A piece of a German and English -dictionary from my baggage excited universal attention, and was several -times carried outside to those who had not secured reserved seats -within. - -The magnificent scenery culminated at Beuron, where a great convent on a -rich mound of grass is nearly surrounded by the Danube, amid a spacious -amphitheatre of magnificent white cliffs perfectly upright, and clad -with the heaviest wood. - -The place looks so lonely, though fair, that you could scarcely believe -you might stop there for the night, and so I had nearly swept by it -again into perfect solitude, but at last pulled up under a tree, and -walked through well ploughed fields to the little hamlet in this -sequestered spot. - -The field labourers were of course surprised at the apparition of a man -in flannel, who must have come out of the river; but the people at the -Kloster had already heard of the "schiff," and the Rob Roy was soon -mounted on two men's shoulders, and borne in triumph to the excellent -hotel. The Prince who founded the monastery is, I believe, himself a -monk. - -Now tolls the bell for "even song," while my dinner is spread in an -arbour looking out on this grand scene, made grander still by dark -clouds gathering on the mountains, and a loud and long thunder peal, -with torrents of rain. - -This deluge of wet came opportunely when I had such good shelter, as it -cooled the air, and would strengthen the stream of the river; so I -admired the venerable monks with complacent satisfaction, a feeling -never so complete as when you are inside, and you look at people who -are out in the rain. - -A young girl on a visit to her friends here could talk bad French -rapidly, so she was sent to gossip with me as I dined; and then the -whole family inspected my sketch-book, a proceeding which happened at -least twice every day for many weeks of the voyage. This emboldened me -to ask for some music, and we adjourned to a great hall, where a concert -was soon in progress with a guitar, a piano, and a violin, all well -played; and the Germans are never at a loss for a song. - -My young visitor, Melanie, then became the interpreter in a curious -conversation with the others, who could speak only German; and I -ventured to turn our thoughts on some of the nobler things which ought -not to be long absent from the mind--I mean, what is loved, and feared, -enjoyed, and derided, as "religion." - -In my very limited baggage I had brought some selected pieces and -Scripture anecdotes and other papers in French and German, and these -were used on appropriate occasions, and were always well received, often -with exceedingly great interest and sincere gratitude. - -Some people are shy about giving tracts, or are even afraid of them. But -then some people are shy of speaking at all, or even dislike to ride, -or skate, or row. One need not laugh at another for this. - -The practice of carrying a few printed pages to convey in clear language -what one cannot accurately speak in a foreign tongue is surely -allowable, to say the least. But I invariably find it to be very useful -and interesting to myself and to others; and, as it hurts nobody, and -has nothing in it of which to be proud or ashamed, and as hundreds of -men do it, and as I have done it for years, and will do it again, I am -far too old a traveller to be laughed out of it now. - -The Kloster at Beuron is a favourite place for excursionists from the -towns in the neighbourhood, and no doubt some day soon it will be a -regular "place to see" for English travellers rowing down the Danube; -for it is thus, and only thus, you can approach it with full effect. The -moon had come forth as I leaned out of my bedroom window, and it -whitened the ample circus of beetling crags, and darkened the trees, -while a fainter and redder light glimmered from the monks' chapel, as -the low tones of midnight chanting now and then reached the ear. Perhaps -it is better to wear a monk's cowl than to wear consistently a layman's -common coat in the workday throng of life; and it _may_ be better to -fast and chant and kneel at shrines than to be temperate and thankful -and prayerful in the busy world. But I doubt. - -After leaving Beuron, with the firing of guns and the usual pleasant -good wishes from the shore, the Danube carried us between two lofty -rocks, and down calm reaches for hours. The water was unspeakably clear; -you could see right into deep caverns far below. I used to gaze -downwards for so long a time at the fish moving about, and to strike at -them with my long paddle (never once hitting any), that I forgot the -boat was swinging along all the time, till bump she went on a bank, or -crash against a rocky isle, or rumbling into some thick trees, when a -shower of leaves, spiders, and rubbish wakened up my reverie. Then, -warned by the shock, I return to the plain duty of looking ahead, until, -perhaps, after an hour's active rushing through narrow "guts," and over -little falls, and getting out and hauling the boat down larger ones, my -eyes are wandering again, gazing at the peaks overhead, and at the -eagles soaring above them, and at the clear blue sky above all; till -again the Rob Roy heels over on a sunken stone, and I have to jump out -nimbly to save her from utter destruction. For days together I had my -feet bare, and my trousers tucked up, ready to wade at any moment, and -perfectly comfortable all the time, for a fiery sun dried every thing in -a few minutes. - -The physical enjoyment of such a life to one in good health and good -spirits, with a good boat and good scenery, is only to be appreciated -after experience; for these little reminders that one must not actually -_sleep_ on a rushing river never resulted in any disaster, and I came -home without a cold or a scratch, or a hole in the boat, or one single -day regretted. May this be so for many a John Bull let loose on the -Continent to "paddle his own canoe." - -On the rivers where there is no navigation and no towing paths it was -impossible to estimate the distances traversed each day, except by the -number of hours I was at work, the average speed, the strength of the -wind and current, and the number of stoppages for food or rest, or -mill-weirs, waterfalls, or barriers. Thirty miles was reckoned to be a -good day's work, and I have sometimes gone forty miles in a day; but -twenty was quite enough when the scenery and incidents on the way filled -up every moment of time with varied sensations of new pleasures. - -It will generally be found, I think, that for walking in a pleasant -country twenty miles a day is enough for mind and body to be active and -observant all the time. But the events that occur in river work are far -more frequent and interesting than those on the road, for you have all -the circumstances of your boat in addition to what fills the -pedestrian's journal, and after a little time your canoe becomes so much -a companion (friend, shall I say?) that every turn it takes and every -knock and grate on its side is felt as if it were your own. The boat -gets to be individualized, and so does the river, till at last there is -a pleasant rivalry set up, for it is "man and boat" _versus_ the river -and all it can place in your way. - -After a few tours on the Continent your first hour in a railway or -diligence may be new and enjoyable, but you soon begin to wish for the -end of the road, and after a short stay in the town you have come to you -begin to talk (or think) of when you are to leave. Now a feature of the -boating tour is that quiet progress can be enjoyed all the time, because -you have personal exertion or engagement for every moment, and your -observation of the scenery around is now most minute and interesting, -because every bend and slope of it tells at once what you have to do. - -Certainly the pleasure of a day is not to be measured by the number of -miles you have gone over. The voyage yesterday, for instance, was one of -the very best for enjoyment of scenery, incident, and exercise, yet it -was the shortest day I had. The guide-book says, "Tuttlingen is twelve -miles"--by river, say eighteen--"from Kloster Beuron, where the fine -scenery begins. This part of the Danube is not navigable." - -I will not say that on some occasions I did not wish for the end of the -day's work, when arms were weary, and the sun was low, and yearnings of -the inner man grumbling for dinner, especially when no one could tell -how far it was to any house, or whether you could stop there all night -if you reached it. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - Sigmaringen--Treacherous trees--Congress of herons--Flying - Dutchman--Tub and shovel--Bottle race--Snags--Bridge perils--Ya - Vol--Ferry rope--Benighted. - - -The sides of the river were now less precipitous, and the road came -within a field or two of the water, and made it seem quite homely for a -time. - -I had heard a loud jingling sound on this road for at least -half-an-hour, and observed a long cart with two horses trotting fast, -and evidently daring to race with the Rob Roy. But at length such -earnest signals were made from it that I stopped, and the cart at once -pulled up, and from it there ran across the field a man breathless and -hot, without his hat, and followed by two young ladies, equally hurried. -He was a German, resident for a short time in London, and now at home -for a month's holiday, and he was prodigal of thanks for my "great -courtesy" in having stopped that the ladies might see the canoe which -they had followed thus for some miles, having heard of its fame at their -village. On another occasion three youths voluntarily ran alongside the -boat and panted in the sun, and tumbled over stocks and stones at such a -rate, that after a mile of the supererogatory exercise, I asked what it -was all about. Excellent villagers! they had taken all this trouble to -arrive at a point further down the stream where they knew there was a -hard place, and they thought they might help me in passing it. - -Such exertions on behalf of a stranger were really most kind, and when I -allowed them to give a nominal help, where in reality it was easy enough -to get on unaided, they were much delighted and more than rewarded, and -went back prattling their purest Suabian in a highly satisfied frame of -mind. - -Many are the bends and currents, but at last we arrive at the town of -Sigmaringen. It has certainly an aristocratic air, though there are only -3,000 inhabitants; but then it has a Principality, though the whole -population of this is only 52,000. Fancy a parish in London with a -Prince all to themselves, and--bearing such a fine grand name too--"His -Royal Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen." But though I have often laughed at this petty kingdom in -the Geography books, I shall never do so again, for it contains some of -the most beautiful river scenery in the world, and I never had more -unalloyed pleasure in passing through a foreign dominion. - -There are pretty gardens here, and a handsome Protestant church, and a -few good shops, schlosses on the hills, and older castles perched on -high rocks in the usual picturesque and uncomfortable places where our -ancestors built their nests. - -The Deutscher Hof is the hotel just opened three weeks ago, and all its -inmates are in a flutter when their first English guest marches up to -the door with a boat and a great company of gazers. The waiter too, all -fresh from a year in London at the Palace Hotel, Buckingham Gate, how -glad he is that his English is now in requisition, sitting by me at -dinner and talking most sensibly all the time. - -The weather still continued superb as we paddled away. Deep green woods -dipped their lower branches in the water, but I found that the stream -had sometimes a fashion of carrying the boat under these, and it is -especially needful to guard against this when a sharp bend with a fast -current hurries you into a wooded corner. Indeed, strange as it may -seem, there was more danger to the boat from these trees than from rocks -or banks, and far more trouble. For when the boat gets under their low -branches your paddle is quite powerless, because you cannot lower one -end to hold the water without raising the other and so catching it in -the trees. Then if you put your head down forward you cannot see, and -the boughs are generally as hard as an ordinary skull when the two are -in collision. Finally, if you lean backwards the twigs scrape your face -and catch upon a nose even of ordinary length, and if you take your hand -from the paddle to protect the face away goes the paddle into the river. -Therefore, although my hat was never knocked off, and my skull was -always the hardest, and my paddle was never lost, and my nose was never -de-Romanized by the branches, I set it down as a maxim, to keep clear of -trees in a stream. - -Still it was tempting to go under shady groves when I tried to surprise -a flock of herons or a family of wild ducks. - -Once we came upon twenty-four herons all together. As my boat advanced -silently, steadily gliding, it was curious to watch these birds, who had -certainly never been disturbed before by any boat in such a place. - -They stared eagerly at me and then looked at each other, and evidently -took a vote of the assembly as to what all this could mean. If birds' -faces can give any expression of their opinions, it is certain that one -of these herons was saying then to the others "Did you ever?" and an -indignant sneer was on another's beak that plainly answered, "Such -impudence indeed!" while a third added, with a sarcastic chirp, "And a -foreigner too!" But, after consultation, they always got up and circled -round, flew down stream, and then settled all again together in an -adjourned meeting. A few minutes brought me to their new retreat, and so -we went on for miles, they always flying down stream, and always -assembling, though over and over again disturbed, until an amendment on -the plan was moved and they bent their way aside. - -A pleasant and favourable breeze springing up, which soon freshened into -a gale, I now set my sails, and the boat went with very great speed; -dashing over rocks and bounding past the haymakers so fast that when one -who caught sight of her had shouted to the rest of his "mates," the -sight was departed for ever before they came, and I heard them behind me -arguing, probably about the ghost. - -But it was a shame to be a phantom ship too often, and it was far more -amusing to go right into the middle of these people, who knew nothing -about the canoe, who had never seen a boat, and never met a foreigner in -their lives. Thus, when a waterfall was found too high to "shoot," or a -wide barrier made it advisable to take the boat by land, I used to walk -straight into the hayfields, pushing the boat point foremost through a -hedge, or dragging her steadily over the wet newly-mown grass in literal -imitation of the American craft which could go "wherever there was a -heavy dew." On such occasions the amazement of the untaught clowns, -beholding suddenly such an apparition, was beyond all description. Some -even ran away, very often children cried outright, and when I looked -gravely on the ground as I marched and dragged the boat, and then -suddenly stopped in their midst with a hearty laugh and an address in -English, the whole proceeding may have appeared to them at least as -strange as it did to me. - -[Illustration: "In the Hayfields."] - -The water of the river all at once became here of a pale white colour, -and I was mourning that my pretty scenes below were clouded; but in -about thirty miles the pebbly deeps appeared again, and the stream -resumed its charming limpid clearness. This matter of dark or bright -water is of some importance, because, when it is clear you can easily -estimate after a little experience the general depth, even at some -distance, by the shades and hues of the water, while the sunk rocks, big -stones, and other particular obstacles are of course more visible then. - -Usually I got well enough fed at some village, or at least at a house, -but in this lonely part of the river it seemed wise to take provender -with me in the boat, and to picnic in some quiet pool, with a shady tree -above. One of the very few boats I saw on the river appeared as I was -thus engaged, and a little boy was in it. His specimen of naval -architecture (no doubt the only one he had ever seen) was an odd -contrast to the beautifully finished canoe made by Searle. He had a pole -and a shovel; the latter article he used as a paddle, and his boat was -of enormous thickness and clumsiness, made of three planks, abundantly -clamped with iron. I gave him some bread, and we had a chat; then some -butter, and then some cheese. He would not take wine, but he produced a -cigar from his wet jacket, and also two matches, which he lighted with -great skill. We soon got to be friends, as people do who are together -alone, and in the same mode of travelling, riding, or sailing, or on -camels' backs. So we smiled in sympathy, and I asked him if he could -read, and gave him a neat little page prettily printed in German, with a -red border. This he read very nicely and was glad to put in his ragged -pocket; but he could scarcely part from me, and struggled vainly to urge -his tub along with the shovel till we came to a run of dashing waves, -and then of course I had to leave him behind, looking and yearning, with -a low, murmuring sound, and a sorrowful, earnest gaze I shall never -forget. - -Shoals of large and small fish are in this river, and very few -fishermen. I did not see ten men fishing in ten days. But the pretty -little Kingfisher does not neglect his proper duties, and ever and anon -his round blue back shines in the sun as he hurries away with a note of -protest against the stranger who has invaded his preserves. Bees are -buzzing while the sun is hot, and when it sinks, out gush the endless -mazes of gnats to hop and flit their tangled dances, the creatures of a -day--born since the morning, and to die at night. - -Before the Danube parted with the rocks that had been on each side for -days together, it played some strange pranks among them, and they with -it. - -Often they rose at each side a hundred feet without a bend, and then -behind these were broken cliffs heaved this way and that, or tossed -upside down, or as bridges hanging over chasms. - -Here and there a huge splinted tooth-like spire of stone stuck out of -the water, leaning at an angle. Sometimes in front there was a veritable -upright wall, as smooth as if it were chiselled, and entirely cutting -off the middle of the stream. In advancing steadily to such a place it -was really impossible to determine on which side the stream could by any -means find an exit, and once indeed I was persuaded that it must descend -below. - -In other cases the river, which had splayed out its width to that of the -Thames at Hungerford, would suddenly narrow its size to a six-foot -passage, and rush down that with a "whishhh!" The Rob Roy cheerily sped -through these, but I landed to scan the course before attempting the -most difficult cuts.--Oh how lonely it was! A more difficult vagary to -cope with was when in a dozen petty streams the water tumbled over as -many little cascades, and only one was passable--sometimes not one. The -interest of finding these, examining, trying, failing, and succeeding, -was a continuous delight, and filled up every mile with a series of -exciting incidents, till at length the rocks were done. - -And now we enter a vast plain, with the stream bending round on itself, -and hurrying swiftly on through the innumerable islands, eddies, and -"snags," or trees uprooted, sticking in the water. At the most critical -part of this labyrinth we were going a tremendous pace, when suddenly we -came to a fork in the river, with the volumes of water going down both -channels nearly equal. We could not descend by one of these because a -tree would catch the mast, so I instantly turned into the other, when up -started a man and shouted impetuously that no boat could pass by _that_ -course. It was a moment of danger, but I lowered the sails in that -moment, took down my mast, and, despite stream and gale, I managed to -paddle back to the proper channel. As no man had been seen for hours -before, the arrival of this warning note was opportune. - -A new amusement was invented to-day--it was to pitch out my empty -wine-bottle and to watch its curious bobbings and whirlings as the -current carried it along, while I floated near and compared the natural -course taken by the bottle with the selected route which intelligence -gave to the Rob Roy. Soon the bottle became impersonated, and we were -racing together, and then a sympathy began for its well-known cork as it -plumped down when its bottom struck a stone--for the bottle drew more -water than my canoe--and every time it grounded there came a loud and -melancholy clink of the glass, and down it went. - -The thick bushes near the river skirted it now for miles, and at one -place I could see above me, through the upper branches, about 20 -haymakers, men and women, who were honestly working away, and therefore -had not observed my approach. - -I resolved to have a bit of fun here, so we closed in to the bank, but -still so as to see the industrious group. Then suddenly I began in a -very loud voice with-- - - "Rule, Britannia, - Britannia rules the waves." - -Long before I got to the word "slaves" the whole party were like -statues, silent and fixed in amazement. Then they looked right, left, -before, behind, and upwards in all directions, except, of course, into -the river, for why should they look _there_? nothing had ever come up -from the river to disturb their quiet mead. I next whistled a lively -air, and then dashing out of my hiding-place stood up in my boat, and -made a brief (but, we trust, brilliant) speech to them in the best -English I could muster, and in a moment afterwards we had vanished from -their sight. - -A little further on there was some road-making in progress, and I pulled -up my boat under a tree and walked up to the "barraque," or workman's -canteen, and entered among 30 or 40 German "navvies," who were sitting -at their midday beer. I ordered a glass and drank their health standing, -paid, bowed, and departed, but a general rush ensued to see where on -earth this flannel-clad being had come from, and they stood on the bank -in a row as I waded, shoved, hauled, paddled, and carried my boat -through a troublesome labyrinth of channels and embankments, with which -their engineering had begun to spoil the river. - -But the bridges one had now more frequently to meet were far worse -encroachments of civilization, for most of them were so low that my mast -would not pass under without heeling the boat over to one side, so as to -make the mast lean down obliquely. In one case of this kind she was very -nearly shipwrecked, for the wind was so good that I would not lower the -sail, and this and a swift current took us (me and my boat--she is now, -you see, installed as a "person") rapidly to the centre arch, when just -as we entered I noticed a fierce-looking snag with a sharp point exactly -in my course. To swerve to the side would be to strike the wooden pier, -but even this would be better (for I might ward off the violence of a -blow near my hands) than to run on the snag, which would be certain to -cut a hole. - -With a heavy thump on the pier the canoe began to capsize, and only by -the nearest escape was she saved from foundering. What I thought was a -snag turned out to be the point of an iron stake or railing, carelessly -thrown into the water from the bridge above. - -It may be here remarked that many hidden dangers occur near bridges, for -there are wooden or iron bars fixed under water, or rough sharp stones -lying about, which, being left there when the bridge was building, are -never removed from a river not navigable or used by boats. - -Another kind of obstruction is the thin wire rope suspended across the -rivers, where a ferry is established by running a flat boat over the -stream with cords attached to the wire rope. The rope is black in -colour, and therefore is not noticed till you approach it too near to -lower the mast, but this sort of danger is easily avoided by the -somewhat sharp "look-out" which a week or two on the water makes quite -instinctive and habitual. Perhaps one of the many advantages of a river -tour is the increased acuteness of observation which it requires and -fosters. - -I stopped next at a clumsy sort of town called Riedlingen, where an -Englishman is a very rare visitor. The excitement here about the boat -became almost ridiculous, and one German, who had been in America and -could jabber a little in English, was deputed to ask questions, while -the rest heard the answers interpreted. - -Next morning at eight o'clock at least a thousand people gathered on the -bridge and its approaches to see the boat start, and shoals of -schoolboys ran in, each with his little knapsack of books.[XIII.] - - [XIII.] Knapsack, from "schnap," "sach," provision bag, for "bits - and bats," as we should say; havresack is from "hafer," "forage bag." - Query.--Does this youthful carriage of the knapsack adapt boys for - military service, and does it account for the high shoulders of many - Germans? - -The scenery after this became of only ordinary interest compared with -what I had passed through, but there would have been little spare time -to look at it had it been ever so picturesque, for the wind was quite a -gale,[XIV.] and right in my favour, and the stream was fast and tortuous -with banks, eddies, and innumerable islands and cross channels, so that -the navigation occupied all one's energy, especially as it was a point -of honour not to haul down the sail in a fair wind. - - [XIV.] In the newspaper accounts of the weather it was stated that - at this time a storm swept over Central Europe. - -Midday came, and yet I could find no place to breakfast, though the -excitement and exertion of thus sailing was really hard work. But still -we hurried on, for dark clouds were gathering behind, and thunder and -rain seemed very near. - -"Ah," said I inwardly, "had I only listened to that worthy dame's -entreaties this morning to take good provision for the day!" She had -smiled like the best of mothers, and timidly asked to be allowed to -touch my watch-chain, "it was so _schon_," so beautiful to see. But, -oddly enough, we had taken no solid food on board to-day, being so -impatient to get off when the wind was strong and fair. The rapid pace -then brought us to Ehingen, the village I had marked on the map for this -night's rest. But now we came there it was found to be _too soon_--I -could not stop for the day with such a splendid breeze inviting -progress; nor would it do to leave the boat on the bank and go to the -village to eat, for it was too far from the river, and so the current -and sails must hurry us on as before. - -Now and then I asked some gazing agriculturist on the bank where the -nearest houses were, but he never could understand that I meant -_nearest, and also close to the river_; so the end of every discussion -was that he said, "Ya vol," which means in Yankee tongue, "That's so"; -in Scottish, "Hoot, aye"; in Irish, "Troth, an' it is"; and in French, -"C'est vrai"; but then none of this helps one a bit. - -I therefore got first ravenous and then faint, and after mounting the -bank to see the turns of the river in advance, I actually fell asleep -under a tree. The wind had quite subsided when I awoke, and then quaffed -deep draughts of water and paddled on. - -The banks were now of yellow mud, and about eight or ten feet high, -quite straight up from the water, just like those on the Nile, and -several affluent streams ran from the plain to join the river. Often, -indeed, I saw a church tower right ahead, and laboured along to get -there, but after half-a-mile the stream would turn sharp round to one -side, and still more and more round, and at last the tower once in front -was directly behind us. The explanation of this tormenting peculiarity -was simply this,--that the villages were carefully built _away_ from the -river bank because it is a bad foundation, and is washed away as new -channels are formed by the flood. - -When the light began to fail I took a good look at the map, and -serpentine bends were marked on it plain enough indeed, but only in -one-half of their actual number; and, moreover, I saw that in the forest -we had now entered there would be no suitable villages at all. The -overhanging trees made a short twilight soon deepen into night; and to -add to the interest the snags suddenly became numerous, and some of them -waved about in the current, as they do on the Upper Mississippi, when -the tenacious mud holds down the roots merely by its weight. All this -made it necessary to paddle slowly and with great caution, and to cross -always to the slack side of the stream instead of by one's usual course, -which, in descending, is to keep with the rapid current. - -Sometimes I had to back out of shallows which were invisible in the -dark, and often I stopped a long time before a glance of some ripple -obscurely told me the probable course. The necessity for this caution -will be evident when it is remembered that in case of an upset here -_both_ sets of clothes would have been wet together, and without any -house at hand to dry them. - -All at once I heard a bell toll quite near me in the thick wood, and I -came to the bank, but it was impossible to get ashore on it, so I passed -that place too, and finally made up my mind to sleep in the boat, and -soon had all sorts of plans in course of devising. - -Just then two drops of rain came on my nose, and I resolved at once to -stop, for if my clothes got wet before I was snug in the canoe there -would be little comfort all night, without anything solid to eat since -morning, and all my cigars already puffed away. - -As I now cautiously searched for some root projecting from the bank to -make fast to, a light appeared straight in front, and I dashed forward -with the boat to reach it, and speedily ran her into a strange sort of -lake or pond, where the stream ceased, and a noise on the boat's side -told of weeds, which proved to be large round leaves on the surface, -like those of the Victoria Regia lily. - -I drew up the boat on shore, and mounted the high bank through a -thicket, carrying my long paddle as a protection against the large dogs -which farmhouses sport here, and which might be troublesome to quarrel -with in the dark. The house I came to on the top of the precipice had -its window lighted, and several people were talking inside, so I -knocked loudly, and all was silence. Then I knocked again, and whined -out that I was a poor benighted "Englander," and hoped they would let me -in, at which melancholy tale they burst out laughing, and so did I! -After an argument between us, which was equally intelligible on both -sides, a fat farmer cautiously took the light upstairs, and, opening a -window, thrust the candle forward, and gazed out upon me standing erect -as a true Briton, and with my paddle, too, but in reality a humiliated -vagrant begging for a night's lodging. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -After due scrutiny he pulled in his head and his candle, shut the -window, and fell to laughing immoderately. At this I was glad, for I -never found it difficult to get on with a man who begins in good humour. - -Presently the others went up, and I stood their gaze unflinchingly, and, -besides, made an eloquent appeal in the vernacular--mine, not theirs, be -it clearly understood. - -Finally they were satisfied that I was alone, and, though probably mad, -yet not quite a match for all of them, so they came down gallantly; but -then there was the difficulty of persuading the man to grope down to the -river on this dark night to carry up a boat. - -With some exertion we got it up by a better way, and safely locked it in -the cowhouse of another establishment, and there I was made thoroughly -comfortable. They said they had nothing to eat but kirchwasser, bread, -and eggs, and how many eggs would I like? so I said, "To begin with, -ten," and I ate them every one. By this time the priest had come; they -often used to send for the _prester_ to do the talk. The large room soon -got full, and the sketch-book was passed round, and an India-rubber band -made endless merriment for the smaller fry, all in the old routine, the -very mention of which it may be tedious to hear of so often, as indeed -it was to me to perform. - -But then in each case it was _their_ first time of going through the -performance, and they were so kind and courteous one could not refuse to -please such people. The priest was very communicative, and we tried to -converse in Latin, for my German was not good enough for him nor his -French for me. But we soon agreed that it was a long time since our -schoolboy Latin days, though I recollect having had long conversations -in Latin with a monk at Nazareth, but there we had ten days together, -and so had time to practise. - -Thus ended the 1st of September, the only occasion on which I had to -"rough it" at all during the voyage; and even then, it may be seen, the -very small discomforts were all the results of gross want of prudence on -my own part, and ended merely by a hard day's work with breakfast and -dinner merged into a late supper. My bill here was 3_s._ 6_d._, the day -before, 4_s._ 6_d._, including always wine and luxuries. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Day-dream--River Iller--Ulm--A stiff king--Lake - Constance--Seeing in the dark--Switzerland--Coloured - Canvas--Sign talk--Synagogue--Amelia--Gibberish. - - -The threatening rain had not come during the night, and it was a lovely -morning next day, like all the rest before and after it; and as we were -leaving this place I found it was called Gegglingen,[XV.] and was only -nine miles from Ulm. - - [XV.] It will be noticed how the termination "_ingen_" is common - here. Thus in our water route we have passed Donaueschingen, Geisingen, - Mehringen, Tuttlingen, Friedingen, Sigmaringen, Riedlingen, Ehingen, - Dischingen, and Gegglingen, the least and last. In England we have the - "ing" in Dorking, Kettering, &c. - -The lofty tower of the Cathedral of this town soon came in view, but I -noticed it without any pleasure, for this was to end my week on the -Danube; and in my ship's log it is entered as "one of the most pleasant -weeks of my life for scenery, health, weather, exercise, and varied -adventure." - -In a pensive mood, therefore, I landed at a garden, and reclined on a -warm mossy bank to have a rest and a day-dream, but very soon the loud -booming of artillery aroused the hill echoes, and then sharp rattling of -infantry firing. The heights around were crested with fringes of -blue-coated soldiers and glistening bayonets, amid the soft round, -cotton-like volumes of smoke from the great guns spurting out fire long -before the sound comes. It was a review of troops and a sham attack on a -fort surmounting the hill, near the battlefield of long years ago at -Ulm. If they fought in heat and fury, let them now rest in peace. - -Come back, my thoughts, to the river at my feet. - -I had been with this river from its infancy, nay, even from its birth in -the Schwartzwald. I had followed it right and left, as it seemed to -toddle in zigzag turnings like a child; and I had wound with it hither -and thither as it roamed away further like free boyhood. Then it grew in -size by feeding on the oozy plain, and was still my companion when it -got the strength of youth, dashing over the rocks, and bounding through -the forests; and I had come at last to feel its powerful stream stronger -than my strength, and compelling my respect. And now, at Ulm, I found it -a noble river, steady and swift, as if in the flower of age; but its -romance was gone. It had boats on it, and navigation, and bridges, and -railways, like other great waters; and so I would let it go on alone, -tumbling, rushing, swelling, till its broad bosom bears whole fleets at -Ofen, and at length as a great water giant it leaps down headlong into -the Black Sea. - -Having seen Ulm in a former tour, I was in no mood to "go over" the -sights again, nor need they be related here, for it is only river travel -and lake sailing that we are concerned with; while reference may be made -to the Guide-books if you wish to hear this sort of thing: "Ulm, lat. -97°, an old Cathedral (_a_) town, on two (§) hills (see Appx.). Pop. -9763; situated [+][+] on the Danube." At that I stop, and -look into the water once more. - -The river is discoloured here,--what is called in Scotland "drumly;" and -this seems partly owing to the tributary _Iller_, which rises in the -Tyrol, and falls into the Danube, a little way above the town. The Iller -has a peculiar air of wild, forlorn bleakness, with its wide channel -half occupied by cold white gravel, and its banks scored and torn, with -weird, broken roots, gnarled trees, bleakness and fallen, all lying -dishevelled; surely in flood times, and of dark wintry nights, a very -deluge boils and seethes along there. - -Then, at last, there are the barges on the Danube, and very rudimental -they are; huge in size, with flat bottoms, and bows and stems cocked up, -and a roofed house in the middle of their sprawling length. The German -boys must have these models before them when they make the Noah's Arks -for English nurseries; and Murray well says of these barges, they are -"nothing better than wooden sheds floating in flat trays." - -In 1839 a steamer was tried here, but it got on a bank, and the effort -was abandoned; so you have to go on to Donauwerth before this mode of -travelling is reached, but from thence you can steam down to the Black -Sea, and the passage boats below Vienna are very fast and well -appointed. - -Rafts there are at Ulm, but we suppose the timber for them comes by the -Iller, for I did not notice any logs descending the upper part of the -Danube. - -Again, there are the public washhouses in the river, each of them a -large floating establishment, with overhanging eaves, under which you -can see, say, fifty women all in a row, half kneeling or leaning over -the low bulwarks, and all slapping your best shirts mercilessly. - -I made straight over to these ladies, and asked how the Rob Roy could -get up so steep a bank, and how far it was to the railway; and so their -senior matron kindly got a man and a hand-cart for the boat, and, as the -company of women heard it was from England, they all talked louder and -more together, and pounded and smacked the unfortunate linen with -additional emphasis. - -The bustle at the railway-station was only half about the canoe; the -other half was for the King of Wurtemburg, who was getting into his -special train to go to his palace at Fredrickshafen. - -Behold me, then, fresh from Gegglingen and snags, in the immediate -presence of Royalty! But this King was not at all kingly, though -decidedly stiff. He is, however, rather amusing sometimes; as when by -his order, issued lately, he compels sentries to salute even empty Royal -carriages. - -I got a newspaper here, and had twelve days to overtake of the world's -doings while we had roamed in hill, forest, and waves. Yet I had been -always asked there to "give the news," and chiefly on two points,--the -Great Eastern, with its electric cable, and the catastrophe on the -Matterhorn glacier, the two being at times vaguely associated, as if -the breaking of the cable in the one had something to do with the loss -of mountaineers in the other. - -So, while I read, the train bore us southwards to Fredrickshafen, the -canoe being charged as baggage three shillings, and patiently submitting -to have a numbered label pasted on its pretty brown face. - -This lively port, on the north side of the Lake of Constance, has a -charming view in front of it well worth stopping to enjoy. It is not -fair to treat it as only a half-hour's town, to be seen while you are -waiting for the lake steamer to take you across to Switzerland. - -But now I come to it for a Sunday's rest (if you wish to travel fast and -far, rest every Sunday), and, as the hotel faced the station, and the -lake faced the hotel, this is the very place to stop in with a canoe. - -So we took the boat upstairs into a loft, where the washerwoman not only -gave room for the well worked timbers of the Rob Roy to be safe and -still, but kindly mended my sails, and sundry other odds and ends of a -wardrobe, somewhat disorganized by rough times. - -Next day there was service in the Protestant church, a fine building, -well filled, and duly guarded by a beadle in bright array. - -The service began by a woman singing "Comfort ye" from Handel, in -exquisite taste and simple style, with a voice that made one forget that -this solemn melody is usually sung by a man. Then a large number of -school children were ranged in the chancel, round a crucifix, and sang a -very beautiful hymn, and next the whole congregation joined in chanting -the psalms in unison, with tasteful feeling and devoutness. A young -German preacher gave us an eloquent sermon, and then the people were -dismissed. - -The afternoon was drummed away by two noisy bands, evidently rivals, and -each determined to excel the other in loudness, while both combined to -persecute the poor visitors who _do_ wish for quietness, at any rate -once a week. I could scarcely escape from this din in a long walk by the -lake, and on coming back found a man bathing by moonlight, while -rockets, squibs, and Catherine wheels were let off in his boat. Better -indeed was it to look with entranced eyes on the far off snowy range, -now lit up by the full harvest moon, and on the sheen of "each -particular star," bright above, and bright again below, in the mirror of -the lake. - -The Lake of Constance is forty-four miles long, and about nine miles -wide. I could not see a ripple there when the Rob Roy was launched at -early morn, with my mind, and body, and soul refreshed, and an eager -longing to begin the tour of Switzerland once more, but now in so new a -fashion. Soon we were far from the shore, and in that middle distance of -the lake where all sides seem equally near, and where the "other side" -appears never to get any nearer as you go on. Here, in the middle, I -rested for a while, and the sensation then was certainly new. Beauty was -everywhere around, and there was full freedom to see it. There was no -cut-and-dry route to be followed, no road, not even a track on the -water, no hours, or time to constrain. I could go right or left by a -stroke of the paddle, and I was utterly my own master of whither to -steer, and where to stop. - -The "pat-a-pat" of a steamer's wheels was the only sound, and that was -very distant, and when the boat came near, the passengers cheered the -canoe, and smiles of (was it not?) envy told of how pleasant and pretty -she looked. After a little wavering in my plans, I settled it was best -to go to the Swiss side, and, after coasting by the villages, I selected -a little inn in a retired bay, and moored my boat, and ordered -breakfast. Here was an old man of eighty-six, landlord and waiter in -one, a venerable man, and I respect age more while growing older. - -He talked with me for five hours while I ate, read, and sketched, and -feasted my eyes on mountain views, and answered vaguely to his remarks, -said in a sleepy way, and in a hot, quiet, basking sun. There are -peaceful and almost dreamy hours of rest in this water tour, and they -are sweet too after hard toil. It is not all rapids and struggles when -you journey with a canoe. - -Close to the inn was the idiot asylum, an old castle with poor demented -women in it. The little flag of my boat attracted their attention, and -all the inmates were allowed to come out and see it, with many smiles of -pleasure, and many odd remarks and gestures. - -Disentangling myself from this strange group, I landed again further -down, and, under a splendid tree, spent an hour or two in carpenter's -work (for I had a few tools on board), to repair the boat's damages and -to brighten her up a bit for the English eyes I must expect in the next -part of the voyage. - -Not a wave had energy to rise on the lake in the hot sun. A sheep-bell -tinkled now and then, but in a tired, listless, and irregular way. A -gossamer spider had spun his web from my mast to the tree above, and -wagtails hopped near me on the stones, and turned an inquiring little -eye to the boat half in the water, and its master reclining on the -grass. It was an easy paddle from this to the town of Constance, at the -end of the lake. - -Here a _douanier_ made a descent upon me and was inexorable. "You _must_ -have the boat examined." "Very well, pray examine it." His Chief was -absent, and I must put the canoe in the Custom-house till to-morrow -morning. An hour was wasted in palaver about this, and at first I -protested vigorously against such absurdity in "free Switzerland." But -Constance is not in Switzerland, it is in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and -so to keep it "grand," they must do very little things, and at any rate -can trouble travellers. At length an obliging native, ashamed of the -proceeding, remonstrated with the douanier, and persuaded him at least -to search the boat and let it pass. - -He took as much time to inspect as if she were a brig of 300 tons, and, -when he came to look at the stern, I gravely pointed to a round hole cut -in the partition for this very purpose! Into this hole he peered, while -the crowd was hushed in silence, and as he saw nothing but darkness, -extremely dark, for (nothing else was there), he solemnly pronounced the -canoe "free," and she was duly borne to the hotel. - -But Constance once had a man in it who was really "grand," John Huss, -the noble martyr for the truth. In the Council Hall you see the -veritable cell in which he was imprisoned some hundreds of years ago, -and on a former visit I had seen, from the tower, through a telescope, -the field where the faggots burned him, and from whence his great soul -leaped up to heaven out of the blazing pile. - - "Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones - Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold; - E'en them who kept thy truth so pure of old - When all our fathers worshipped stocks and stones." - - --_Milton._ - -Does not a thought or two on such great things make other common things -look small? - -True and good--but we may not stop always in the lake to ponder thus, -for the current is moving again, so let us launch the Rob Roy on our old -friend, the Rhine. - -It is a change to cross a quiet lake after being hurried on a rapid -stream like the Danube, and now it is another change to paddle from the -lake into a wide river like the Rhine, which speeds fast and steady -among lively scenes. The water is deep, and of a faint blue, but clear -enough to show what is below. The pebbly bottom seems to roll towards -you from underneath, and village churches appear to spin quietly round -on the banks, for the land and its things seem to move, not the water, -so glassy its surface steadily flowing. - -Here are the fishers again, slowly paying out their fine-spun nets, and -there is a target-hut built on four piles in the river. - -The target itself is a great cube of wood, say six feet on each side. It -is fired at from another hut perched also on post in the water, and a -"marker" safely placed behind the great block of wood turns it round on -a vertical pivot, and so patches up the bullet-hole, and indicates its -position to those who have fired. - -The Rhine suddenly narrows soon after leaving the Boden See, or Lake -Constance as we call it, but the banks again open out till it is a mile -or two in breadth. Here and there are grassy islands, and you may -notice, by long stakes stuck on the shallows, which tremble as the water -presses them, that the channel for steamers is very roundabout, though -the canoe will skim over any part of it comfortably. Behind each islet -of tall reeds there is a fishing-boat held fast by two poles stuck in -the bottom of the river; or it is noiselessly moving to a more lucky -pool, sculled by the boatman, with his oar at only one side,--rather a -novel plan,--while he pays out the net with his other hand. Rudely-made -barges are afloat, and seem to turn round helplessly in the current of -the deeper parts, or hoist their great square sails in the dead -calm--perhaps for the appearance of the thing--a very picturesque -appearance, as the sail has two broad bands of dark blue cloth for its -centre stripes. But the pointed lateen sail of Geneva is certainly a -more graceful rig than the lug, especially when there are two masts, and -the white sails swell towards you, goosewinged, before a flowing breeze. - -The river has probably a very uneven bottom in this part, for the water -sometimes rushes round in great whirlpools, and strange overturnings of -itself, as if it were boiling from below in exuberant volume with a -gushing upwards; and then again, it wheels about in a circle with a -sweep far around, before it settles to go onward.[XVI.] - - [XVI.] These maelstroms seem at first to demand extra caution as - you approach, but they are harmless enough, for the water is deep, and - it only twists the boat round; and you need not mind this except when - the sail is up, but have a care _then_ that you are not taken aback. In - crossing one of these whirlpools at full speed it will be found needless - to try to counteract the sudden action on your bow by paddling against - it, for it is better to hold on as if there were no interference, and - presently the action in the reverse direction puts all quite straight. - -On the borders of Switzerland the German and French tongues are both -generally known at the hotels, and by the people accustomed to do -business with foreigners travelling among them. - -But in your course along a river these convenient waiters and polyglot -commissionaires are not found exactly in attendance at every village, -and it is, therefore, to the bystanders or casual loungers your -observations must be addressed. - -Frequent intercourse with natives of strange countries, where there is -no common language between them and the tourist, will gradually teach -him a "sign language" which suits all people alike. - -Thus, in any place, no matter what was their dialect, it was always easy -to induce one or two men to aid in carrying the canoe. The _formula_ for -this was something in the following style. - -I first got the boat on shore, and a crowd of course soon collected, -while I arranged its interior, and sponged out the splashed water, and -fastened the cover down. Then, tightening my belt for a walk, I looked -round with a kind smile, and selecting a likely man, would address him -in English deliberately as follows--suiting each action to the word, for -I have always found that sign language is made more natural when you -speak your own tongue all the time you are acting:--"Well now, I think -as you have looked on enough and have seen all you want, it's about time -to go to an hotel, a _gasthaus_. Here! you--yes, _you_!--just take that -end of the boat up, so,--gently, '_langsam!_' '_langsam!_'--all right, -yes, under your arm, like this,--now march off to the best hotel, -_gasthaus_." - -[Illustration: "Langsam."] - -Then the procession naturally formed itself. The most humorous boys of -course took precedence, because of services or mischief willing to be -performed; and, meanwhile, they gratuitously danced about and under the -canoe like Fauns around Silenus. Women only came near and waited -modestly till the throng had passed. The seniors of the place kept on -the safer confines of the movement, where dignity of gait might comport -with close observation. - -In a case of sign talking like the foregoing you can be helped by one -substantive and one adverb; and if you pronounce these clearly, and use -them correctly, while all the other expressions are evidently _your_ -language and not theirs, they will understand it much better than if you -try signs in dumb show or say the whole in bad German, and so give rise -to all possible mistakes of your meaning. - -But it is quite another matter when you have forgotten (or have never -acquired) the foreign word for the noun you wish to name, though, even -then, by well chosen signs, and among an intelligent people, a good deal -can be conveyed, as may be shown in the following cases. - -Once I was riding among the Arabs along the Algerian coast, on my way -from Carthage, and my guide, a dense Kabyle, was evidently taking me -past a place I wished to visit, and which had been duly entered in the -list when he was engaged. - -I could not make him understand this, for my limited Arabic had been -acquired under a different pronunciation in Syria; but one night, it -happened that a clever chief had me in a tent, or rather a hut, just -like the top of a gipsy cart. I explained to him by signs (and talking -English) that the muleteer was taking me past the place it was desired -to see. Then I tried to pronounce the name of that place, but was always -wrong, or he could not make it out; it was Maskutayn, or "bewitched -waters," a wonderful volcanic valley, full of boiling streams and little -volcanoes of salt. - -At length, sitting in the moonlight, signs were tried even for this -difficult occasion. I put my chibouque (pipe) under the sand and took -water in my hand, and as he looked on intently--for the Arabs love this -speaking action--I put water on the fire in the pipe-bowl, and blew it -up through the sand, talking English all the time. This was done again, -and suddenly the black lustrous eyes of the Ishmaelite glistened -brighter. He slapped his forehead. He jumped up. You could almost be -sure he said "I know it now;" and then he roused the unfortunate -muleteer from his snorings to give him an energetic lecture, by means of -which we were directed next day straight to the very place I desired to -find. - -In a few cases of this international talking it becomes necessary to -sketch pictures, which are even better than signs, but not among Arabs. -During a visit to the fair of Nijni Novgorod, in the middle of Russia, I -passed many hours in the "Chinese street" there, and found it was very -difficult to communicate with Ching Loo, and even signs were useless. -But they had some red wax about the tea-chests, and there was a white -wall beside us, so upon this I put the whole story in large pictures, -with an explanatory lecture in English all the time, which proceeding -attracted an audience of several scores of Chinamen and Kalmuks and -other outlandish people, and the particular group I meant to enlighten -seemed perfectly to understand all that was desired. - -And so we suppose that if you can work your paddle well, and learn the -general sign language, and a little of the pencil tongue, you can go -very far in a canoe without being starved or homeless; while you are -sure to have a wide field in which to study the various degrees of -intelligence among those you meet. - -To come back, however, from the Volga to the Rhine. - -The current flows more and more gently as we enter the Zeller See, or -Unter See, a lake which would be called pretty if our taste has not been -sated for a while by having a snowy range for the background to the -views on Constance. - -But the Lake of Constance sadly wants islands, and here in the Zeller -See are several, one of them being of great size. The Emperor of the -French had passed two days at his chateau on this lake, just before we -arrived. No doubt he would have waited a week had he known the Rob Roy -was coming.[XVII.] - - [XVII.] His Majesty has not forgotten the canoe, as will be seen by - the following extract from the Paris intelligence in the "Globe" of - April 20 (His Majesty's birthday):-- - - "By an edict, dated April 6, 1866, issued this morning, the - Ministre d'Etat institutes a special committee for the - organisation of a special exhibition, at the Exposition - Universelle of 1867, of all objects connected with the arts and - industry attached to pleasure boats and river navigation. This - measure is thought to display the importance which amateur - navigation has assumed during the last few years--to display - the honour in which is held this _sport nouveau_, as it is - denominated in the report, and to be successful in abolishing - the old and absurd prejudices which have so long prevented its - development in France. The Emperor, whose fancy for imitating - everything English leads him to patronise with alacrity all - imitation of English sports in particular, is said to have - suggested the present exhibition after reading MacGregor's - 'Cruise of the Rob Roy,' which developes many new ideas of the - purposes besides mere pleasure to which pleasure boats may be - applied, and would be glad to encourage a taste for the - exploration of solitary streams and lonely currents amongst the - youth of France." - -However, as we were too late to breakfast with his Majesty, I pulled in -at the village of Steckborn, where an inn is built on the actual edge of -the water, a state of things most convenient for the aquatic tourist, -and which you find often along this part of the Rhine. In a case of this -sort you can tap at the door with the paddle, and order a repast before -you debark, so that it is boiling and fizzing, and the table is all -ready, while you put things to rights on board, and come leisurely -ashore, and then tie the boat to the window balcony, or, at any rate, in -some place where it can be seen all the time you breakfast or dine, and -rest, and read, and draw. - -Experience proved that very few boys, even of the most mischievous -species, will meddle with a boat which is floating, but that very few -men, even of the most amiable order, will refrain from pulling it about -when the little craft is left on shore. - -To have your boat not only moored afloat but in your sight too,--that is -perfection, and it is worth additional trouble to arrange this, because -then and for hours of the midday stoppage, you will be wholly at ease, -or at any rate, you will have one care the less, the weary resting -traveller will not then be anxious about his absent boat, as if it were -a valuable horse in a strange stable. - -The landlord was much interested in the story of my voyage as depicted -in the sketch-book, so he brought a friend to see me who could speak -French, and who had himself constructed a boat of two tin tubes,[XVIII.] on -which a stage or frame is supported, with a seat and rowlocks, the -oddest looking thing in nautical existence. I persuaded him to put this -institution into the water, and we started for a cruise; the double-tube -metal boat, with its spider-like gear aloft, and the oak canoe, so low -and rakish, with its varnished cedar deck, and jaunty flag, now racing -side by side, each of them a rare sight, but the two together quite -unprecedented. - - [XVIII.] Each of these was in shape like the cigar ship which I had - sailed past on the Thames, and which has since been launched. - -The river here is like parts of the Clyde and the Kyles of Bute, with -French villages let in, and an Italian sky stretched overhead. We rowed -across to a village where a number of Jews live, for I wished to visit -their Synagogue; but, lo! this was the Grand Duchy of Baden land, and a -heavily-armed sentry found us invading the dominion, so he deployed and -formed square to force us to land somewhere else. The man was civil, but -his orders were unreasonable, so we merely embarked again and went over -to Switzerland, and ran our little fleet into a bramble bush, to hide it -while we mounted to an auberge on the hill for a sixpenny bottle of -wine. - -The pretty Swiss lass in charge said she once knew an Englishman--but -"it was a pity they were all so proud." He had sent her a letter in -English, which I asked her to let me read for her. It began, "My dear -little girl, I love you;" and this did not sound so very proud for a -beginning. My boating friend promised to make her a tin _cafetiere_, and -so it may be divined that he was the tinman of the village, and a most -agreeable tinman too. - -She came to see us on board, and her father arrived just in time to -witness a triangular parting, which must have puzzled him a good deal, -Amelia waving farewell to a "proud" Englishman and a nautical -whitesmith, who both took leave also of each other, the last sailing -away with huge square yards and coloured canvas, and the Rob Roy -drifting with the stream in the opposite direction. - -Every day for weeks past had been as a picnic to me, but I prolonged -this one into night, the air was so balmy and the red sun setting was so -soon replaced by the white moon rising, and besides, the navigation here -had no dangers, and there were villages every few miles. - -When I had enough of it, cruising here and there by moonlight, I drew up -to the town of Stein, but all was now lonely by the water-side. This is -to be expected when you arrive late; however, a slap or two on the water -with the paddle, and a loud verse of a song, Italian, Dutch, a pibroch, -any noise in fact, soon draws the idlers to you, and it is precisely the -idlers you want. - -One of them readily helped me with the boat to an inn, where an -excellent landlady greeted the strange guest. From this moment all was -bustle there, and very much it was increased by a German guest, who -insisted on talking to me in English, which I am sure I did not -understand a bit better than the Germans who came to listen and look -on. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Fog--Fancy pictures--Boy soldiers--Boat's billet--Eating--Lake - Zurich--Crinoline--Hot walk--Staring--Lake Zug--Swiss - shots--Fishing Britons--Talk-book. - - -In the morning there was a most curious change of air; all around was in -a dense white fog. Truly it was now to be "sensation rowing;" so we -hastened to get off into this milky atmosphere. I have an idea that we -passed under a bridge; at least the usual cheers sounded this time as if -they were above me, but the mist was as thick as our best November -Cheshire-cheese fogs, and quite as interesting. On several occasions I -positively could not see the bow of my boat, only a few feet from my -nose. The whole arrangement was so unexpected and entirely -novel,--paddling on a fast invisible stream--that I had the liveliest -emotions of pleasure without seeing anything at all. - -But then fancy had free play all the time, and the pictures it drew were -vivid and full of colour, and, after all, our impressions of external -objects are only pictures, so say the philosophers; and why not then -enjoy a tour in a fog, with a good album of pictures making the while in -the brain? - -Sounds too there were, but like those of witches and fairies--though -perhaps it was only the cackling of some antique washerwomen on the -banks. However, I addressed the unseen company in both prose and poetry, -and was full of emphasis, which now and again was increased by my boat -running straight into the shore. - -The clearing away of the fog was one of the most interesting evolutions -of nature to be seen. In one sort or other every traveller has enjoyed -the quick or gradual tearing up of a fog curtain on mountain or moor, -but here it was on a beauteous river. - -I wish to describe this process, but I cannot. It was a series of -"Turner pictures," with glimpses right and left, and far overhead, of -trees, sky, castles, each lightened and shown for a moment, and then -gauzed over again and completely hidden; while the mind had to imagine -all the context of the scenery, and it was sure to be quite wrong when -another gleam of sun disclosed what was there in reality. For it cleared -away at last, and Father Sol avenged himself by an extra hot ray, for -thus trifling with his beams. - -The Rhine banks here were sloping but steep, with pleasant meadows, -vineyards, and woods, mingled with tolerable fairness to all three. In -short, though I appreciate scenery with an eager admiration, any scenery -seemed good when the genial exercise of the canoe was the medium for -enjoying it. - -Soon afterwards the woods thickened, the mountains rose behind them, the -current got faster and faster, the houses, at first dotted on the -knolls, got closer and more suburb like, and at last a grand sweep of -the stream opened up Schaffhausen to the eye, while a sullen sound on -the water warned of "rapids ahead." As I intended to keep them always in -front, some caution was needed in steering, though there is no -difficulty here, for steamboats navigate thus far, and of course it is -easy for a canoe. - -But when I glided down to the bridge there was the "Goldenen Schiff" -hotel, and I resolved to patronise it on account of its name, and -because there was a gigantic picture of a Briton on the adjoining wall. -He was in full Highland costume, though the peculiar tartan of his kilt -showed that there is still one clan we have not yet recognised. - -Here began a novel kind of astonishment among the people; for when, on -my arrival, they asked, "Where have you come from?" and were told, -"From England," they could not understand how my course seemed as if in -reality from Germany. - -The short morning's work being soon over, there was all the day before -me to wander about. - -Drums and a band presently led me to a corps of little boys in full -uniform, about 200 of them, all with real guns and with boy officers, -most martial to behold, albeit they were munching apples between the -words of command, and pulling wry faces at urchins of eight years old, -who strove in vain to take long steps with short legs. - -They had some skirmishing drill, and used small goats' horns to give the -orders instead of bugles. These horns are used on the railways too, and -the note is very clear, and may be heard well a long way off. Indeed I -think much might be done in our drill at home by something of this sort. - -It is a short three miles to the Belle Vue, built above the falls of -Schaffhausen, and in full view of this noble scene. These great falls of -the Rhine looked much finer than I had recollected them some twelve -years before; it is pleasant, but unusual, for one's second visit to -such sights to be more striking than the first. At night the river was -splendidly illuminated by Bengal lights of different colours, and the -effect of this on the tossing foam and rich full body of ever pouring -water--or fire as it then seemed to be--was to present a spectacle of -magical beauty and grandeur, well seen from the balcony of the hotel, by -many travellers from various lands. On one side of me was a Russian, and -a Brazilian on the other. - -Next day, at the railway-station, I put the sharp bow of the Rob Roy in -at the window of the "baggages" office, and asked for the "boat's -ticket." The clerk did not seem at all surprised, for he knew I was an -Englishman, and nothing is too odd, queer, mad in short, for Englishmen -to do. - -But the porters, guards, and engine-drivers made a good deal of talk -before the canoe was safely stowed among the trunks in the van; and I -now and then visited her there, just for company's sake, and to see that -the sharp-cornered, iron-bound boxes of the American tourists had not -broken holes in her oaken skin. One could not but survey, with some -anxiety, the lumbering casks on the platform, waiting to be rolled in -beside the canoe; and the fish baskets, iron bars, crates, and clumsy -gear of all sorts, which at every stoppage is tumbled in or roughly -shovelled out of the luggage-van of a train. - -This care and sympathy for a mere boat may be called enthusiasm by -those who have not felt the like towards inanimate objects linked to our -pleasures or pains by hourly ties of interest; but others will -understand how a friendship for the boat was felt more every day I -journeyed with her: her strong points were better known as they were -more tried, but the weak points, too, of the frail traveller became now -more apparent, and the desire to bring her safely to England was rapidly -increased when we had made the homeward turn. - -The mere cost of the railway ticket for the boat's carriage to Zurich -was two or three shillings,--not so much as the expense of taking it -between the stations and the hotels. - -Submitting, then, to be borne again on wheels and through tunnels in the -good old railway style, we soon arrive among the regular Swiss -mountains, and where gather the Swiss tourists, for whom arise the Swiss -hotels, those huge establishments founded and managed so as best to -fatten on the wandering Englishman, and to give him homoeopathic -feeding while his purse is bled. - -For suffer me again to have a little gossip about _eating_. Yes, it is a -mundane subject, and undoubtedly physical; but when the traveller has to -move his body and baggage along a route by his own muscles, by climbing -or by rowing, or by whipping a mule, it is a matter of high moment, to -him at least, that fibrine should be easily procurable. - -If you wish, then, to live well in Switzerland and Germany go to German -hotels, and avoid the grand barracks reared on every view-point for the -English tourist. - -See how the omnibus, from the train or the steamer, pours down its -victims into the landlords' arms. Papa and Mamma, and three daughters -and a maid: well, of course _they_ will be attended to. Here is another -timid lady with an alpenstock, a long white cane people get when they -arrive in Switzerland, and which they never know what on earth to do -with. Next there will issue from the same vehicle a dozen newly-fledged -Londoners; and the whole party, men and women, are so demure, so afraid -of themselves, that the hotel-keeper does just what he likes with them, -every one. - -Without a courier, a wife, heavy baggage, or young ladies, I enter too, -and dare to order a cutlet and potatoes. After half-an-hour two chops -come and spinach, each just one bite, and cold. I ask for fruit, and -some pears are presented that grate on the knife, with a minute bunch of -grapes, good ones let us acknowledge. For this we pay 2_s._ - -Next day I row three miles down the lake, and order, just as before, a -cutlet, potatoes, and fruit, but this time at a second-rate German inn. -Presently behold two luscious veal cutlets, with splendid potatoes, and -famous hot plates; and a fruit-basket teeming gracefully with large -clusters of magnificent grapes, peaches, pears all gushing with juice, -and mellow apples, and rosy plums. For this I pay 1_s._ 6_d._ The secret -is that the Germans won't pay the prices which the English fear to -grumble at, and won't put up with the articles the English fear to -refuse. - -Nor may we blame the hotel-keepers for their part in this business. They -try to make as much money as they can, and most people who are making -money try to do the same. - -In the twilight the Rob Roy launched on the Lake of Zurich, so lovely by -evening, cool and calm, with its pretty villages painted again on the -water below, and soft voices singing, and slow music floating in the -air, as the moon looked down, and the crests of snow were silvered on -far-off hills. - -The canoe was now put up in a boathouse where all seemed to be secure. -It was the only time I had found a boathouse for my boat, and the only -time when she was badly treated; for, next morning, though the man in -charge appeared to be a solid, honest fellow, I saw at once that the -canoe had been sadly tumbled about and filled with water, the seat cast -off and floating outside, the covering deranged, the sails untied, and -the sacred paddle defiled by clumsy hands. - -The man who suffered this to be perpetrated will not soon forget the -Anglo-German-French set-down he received (with a half-franc), and I -shall not forget in future to observe the time-honoured practice of -carrying the canoe invariably into the hotel. - -Another piece of experience gained here was this, that to send your -luggage on by a steamer, intending to regain it on your arrival, adds -far less of convenience than it does of anxiety and trouble, seeing that -in this sort of travel you can readily take the baggage with you always -and everywhere in your boat. - -Much of the charm of next day's paddle on the lake consisted in its -perfect independence of all previous arrangements, and in the absence of -such thraldom as, "You must be here by ten o'clock;" or, "You have to -sleep there at night." So now, let the wind blow as it likes, I could -run before it, and breakfast at this village; or cross to that point to -bathe; or row round that bay, and lunch on the other side of the lake, -or anywhere else on the shore, or in the boat itself, as I pleased. I -felt as a dog must feel on his travels who has no luggage and no -collar, and has only one coat, which always fits him, and is always -getting new. - -When quite sated with the water, I fixed on Horgen to stop at for a -rest, to the intense delight of all the Horgen boys. How they did jump -and caper about the canoe, and scream with the glee of young hearts -stirred by a new sight! - -It was one of the great treats of this voyage to find it gave such hours -of pleasure to the juvenile population in each place. Along the vista of -my recollection as I think over the past days of this excursion, many -thousand childish faces brimming with happiness range their chubby or -not chubby cheeks. - -These young friends were still more joyous when the boat was put into a -cart, and the driver got up beside it, and the captain of the canoe -began his hot walk behind. - -A number of their mammas came out to smile on the performance, and some -asked to have a passage to England in the boat, to which there was the -stock reply, given day by day, "Not much room for the crinoline." Only -once was there the rejoinder, that the lady would willingly leave her -expansion at home; though on another occasion (and that in France, too) -they answered, "We poor folks don't wear crinoline." - -In every group there were various forms of inquisitiveness about the -canoe. First, those who examined it without putting questions; and then -those who questioned about it without examining. Some lifted it to feel -the weight; others passed their hands along its smooth deck to feel the -polished cedar; others looked underneath to see if there was a keel, or -bent the rope to feel how flexible it was, or poised the paddle (when I -let them), and said, "How light!" and then more critical inquirers -measured the boat's dimensions, tapped its sides with their knuckles, -and looked wise; sketched its form, scrutinized its copper nails, or -gently touched the silken flag, with its frayed hem and colour fading -now; in all places this last item, as an object of interest, was always -the first exclaimed about by the lady portion of the crowd. - -It is with such little but pleasant trivialities that a traveller's day -may be filled in this enchanting atmosphere where simply to exist, to -breathe, to gaze, and to listen, are enough to pass the sunny hours, if -not to engage the nobler powers of the mind. - -The Lakes of Zurich and Zug are not far separate. About three hours of -steady road walking takes you from one to the other, over a high neck of -forest land, and a hot walk this was from twelve to three o'clock, in -the brightest hours of the day. The heat and the dust made me eager -again to be afloat. By the map, indeed, it seemed as if one could row -part of this way on a river which runs into Zug, but maps are no -guidance as to the fitness of streams for a boat. They make a black line -wriggling about on the paper do for all rivers alike, and this tells you -nothing as to the depth or force of the current, nor can the drivers or -innkeepers tell much more, since they have no particular reason for -observing how a river comports itself; their business is on the road. - -The driver was proud of his unusual fare, a boat with an English flag, -and he gave a short account of it to every friend he met, an account no -doubt frightfully exaggerated, but always accepted as sufficient by the -gratified listener. The worthy carter, however, was quite annoyed that I -stopped him outside the town of Zug (paying thirteen francs for the -cart), for I wished to get the canoe into the water unobserved, as the -morning's work had left me yet no rest, and sweet repose could best be -had by floating in my boat. However, there was no evading the -townspeople's desire to see "the schiff in a cart from England." We took -her behind a clump of stones, but they climbed upon the stones and -stood. I sat down in a moody silence, but they sat down too in -respectful patience. I tried then another plan, turned the canoe bottom -upward, and began lining a seam of the planks with red putty. They -looked on till it was done, and I began the same seam again, and told -them that all the other seams must be thus lined. This, at last, was too -much for some of the wiser ones, who turned away and murmured about my -slowness, but others at once took their places in the front row. It -seemed unfriendly to go on thus any longer, and as it was cooler now, I -pushed the boat into the lake, shipped my luggage on board, and after -the usual English speech to them all from the water, bid every one -"adieu."[XIX.] - - [XIX.] This word, like other expressive French words, is commonly - used in Germany and Switzerland. - -New vigour came when once the paddle was grasped again, and the soft -yielding water and gentle heaving on its bosom had fresh pleasure now -after the dusty road. It seems as if one must be for ever spoiled for -land travel by this smooth liquid journeying. - -Zug is a little lake, and the mountains are over it only at one end, but -then there are glorious hills, the Rigi and a hundred more, each behind -another, or raising a peak in the gaps between. I must resolutely -abstain from describing these here. The sight of them is well known to -the traveller. The painted pictures of them in every shop window are -faithful enough for those who have not been nearer, and words can tell -very little to others of what is seen and felt when you fill the -delighted eye by looking on the snowy range. - -Near one end of the lake I visited the line of targets where the -Switzers were popping away their little bullets at their short ranges, -with all sorts of gimcrack instruments to aid them, lenses, crooks, and -straps for the arms, hair-triggers, and everything done under cover too. -Very skilful indeed are they in the use of these contrivances; but the -weapons look like toy-guns after all, and are only one step removed from -the crossbows you see in Belgium and France, where men meet to shoot at -stuffed cockrobins fixed on a pole, and do not hit them, and then -adjourn for beer. - -The Swiss are good shots and brave men, and woe be to their invaders. -Still, in this matter of rifle shooting their _dilettanti_ practice -through a window, at the short range of 200 yards, seems really childish -when compared with that of the manly groups at Wimbledon, where, on the -open heath, in sun or drifting hail, the burly Yorkshireman meets with -the hardy Scot, and sends his heavier deadly bullet on its swift errand -right away for a thousand yards in the storm. - -Leaving the shooters to their bulls' eyes, I paddled in front of the -town to scan the hotels, and to judge of the best by appearances. Out -came the boats of Zug to examine the floating stranger. They went round -and round, in a criticising mood, just as local dogs strut slowly in -circles about a new-come cur who is not known to their street, and -besides is of ambiguous breed. These boats were all larger than mine, -and most of them were brighter with plenty of paint, and universally -they were encumbered with most awkward oars. - -A courteous Frenchman in one of the boats told me all the Zug news in a -breath, besides asking numerous questions, and giving a hasty commentary -on the fishing in the lake. Finally, he pointed out the best hotel, and -so the naval squadron advanced to the pier, led by the canoe. A gracious -landlady here put my boat safe in the hotel coachhouse, and offered to -give me the key of the padlock, to make sure. In the _salle à manger_ -were some English friends from London, so now I felt that here was an -end of lone wanderings among foreigners, for the summer stream of -tourists from England was encountered at this point. - -An early start next morning found the mists on the mountains, but they -were quickly furled up out of the way in festoons like muslin curtains. - -We skirted the pretty villas on the verge of the lake, and hauled in by -some apple-trees to rig up the sails. This could be done more easily -when the boat was drawn ashore than when it was afloat; though, after -practice, I could not only set the mast and hoist the sails "at sea," -but could even stand up and change my coat, or tie the flag on the -masthead, or survey a difficult channel, while the boat was rocking on -the waves of a rapid.[XX.] - - [XX.] This is so very useful in extending the horizon of view, - and in enabling you to examine a whole ledge of sunken rocks at once, - that it is well worth the trouble of a week or two's practice. - -Sailing on a lake in Switzerland is a full reward for carrying your mast -and sails unused for many a long mile. Sometimes, indeed, the sails -seemed to be after all an encumbrance, but this was when they were not -available. Every time they came into use again the satisfaction of -having brought them was reassured. - -In sailing while the wind is light you need not always sit, as must be -done for paddling. Wafted by the breeze you can now recline, lie down, -or lie up, put your legs anyhow and anywhere, in the water if you like, -and the peak of the sail is a shade between the sun and your eyes, -while the ripples seem to tinkle cheerfully against the bow, and the -wavelets seethe by smoothly near the stern. When you are under sail the -hill tops look higher than before, for now you see how far they are -above your "lofty" masthead, and the black rocks on the shore look -blacker when seen in contrast with a sail like cream. - -[Illustration: "Sailing on Lake Zug."] - -After a cruise that left nothing more to see of Zug, we put into port at -Imyn, and though it is a little place, only a few houses, the boys there -were as troublesome as gnats buzzing about; so the canoe had to be -locked in the stable out of sight. - -Three Britons were waiting here for the steamer. They had come to fish -in Switzerland. Now fishing and travelling kill each other, so far as my -experience goes, unless one of them is used as a _passetemps_ because -you cannot go on with the other. Thus I recollect once at the town of -Vossevangen, in Norway, when we had to wait some hours for horses, it -was capital fun to catch three trout with a pin for a hook fastened on -the lash of a gig-whip, while a fellow-traveller shot with a pistol at -my Glengarry cap on a stone. - -The true fisherman fishes for the fishing, not for the fishes. He -himself is pleased even if he catches nothing, though he is more pleased -to bring back a full basket, for that will justify him to his friends. - -Now when you stop your travelling that you may angle, if you catch -nothing you grudge the day spent, and keep thinking how much you might -have seen in it on the road. On the other hand, if you do happen to -catch one or two fish, you don't like to leave the place where more -might be taken, and your first ten miles after departure from it is a -stage of reflection about pools, stones, bites, and rises, instead of -what is going on all around. Worst of all, if you have hooked a fish and -lost him, it is a sad confession of defeat then to give up the sport and -moodily resume the tour. - -As for the three visitors at Imyn, they had just twenty minutes sure, so -they breakfasted in five minutes, and in the next three minutes had got -their rods ready, and were out in the garden casting as fast as -possible, and flogging the water as if the fish also ought to be in a -hurry to get taken. The hot sun blazed upon the bald head of one of -these excited anglers, for he had not time to put on his hat. The other -had got his line entangled in a bush, and of course was _hors de -combat_. The third was a sort of light skirmisher, rushing about with -advice, and pointing out shoals of minnows everywhere else but where his -companions were engaged. However, they managed to capture a few monsters -of the deep, that is to say, a couple of misguided gudgeons, probably -dissipated members of their tribe, and late risers, who had missed -their proper breakfasts. Ardent as I am with the rod I could not enjoy -fishing after this sort. - -To be in this tide of wandering Britons, and yet to look at them and -listen to them as if you were distinct--this is a post full of interest -and amusement; and if you can, even for one day, try to be (at least in -thought) a Swiss resident or a Parisian, and so to regard the English -around you from the point they are seen from by the foreigners whom they -visit, the examination becomes far more curious. But this has been done -by many clever tourists, who have written their notes with more or less -humour, and with more rather than less severity; so I shall not attempt -to analyse the strange atoms of the flood from our islands which -overflows the Continent every year. - -It is the fashion to decry three-fourths of this motley company as -"snobs," "spendthrifts," or "greenhorns." With humble but firm voice I -protest against this unfairness; nor can I help thinking that much of -the hard criticism published by travellers against their fellows is a -crooked way of saying, what it does not do to assert directly, that the -writer has at any rate met some travellers inferior to himself. - -Of course, among the Englishmen whom I met now and then in the course -of this voyage there were some strange specimens, and their remarks were -odd enough, when alluding to the canoe. One said, for example, "Don't -you think it would have been more commodious to have had an attendant -with you to look after your luggage and things?" The most obvious answer -to this was probably that which I gave, "Not for me, if he was to be in -the boat; and not for him, if he had to run on the bank." - -Another Englishman at home asked me in all seriousness about the canoe -voyage, "Was it not a great waste of time?" And when I inquired how _he_ -had spent his vacation, he said, "Oh, I was all the time _at Brighton_!" - -In returning once more to English conversation, one is reminded how very -useless and unpractical are all the "Talk-books" published to facilitate -the traveller's conversation in foreign languages. Whether they are -meant to help you in French, German, Italian, or Spanish, these little -books, with their well-known double columns of words and phrases, and -their "Polite Letter-writer" at the end, all seem to be equally -determined to force words upon you which you never will need to use; -while the things you are always wanting to say in the new tongue are -either carefully buried among colloquies on botany or precious stones, -or among philosophical discussions about metaphysics, or else the -desirable phrases are not in the book at all. - -This need of a brief and good "Talk-book" struck me particularly when I -had carefully marked in my German one all the pages which would never be -required in the tour, so that I could cut them out as an unnecessary -addition to the weight of my ship's library. Why, the little book, when -thus expurgated, got so lamentably thin that the few pages left of it, -as just possible to be useful, formed only a wretched skeleton of the -original volume. - -Another fault of these books is that half the matter in them is made up -of what the imaginary chatting foreigner says _to you_, the unhappy -Englishman, and this often in long phrases, or even in set speeches. - -But when, in actual life, the real foreigner speaks to you, he somehow -says quite a different set of words from any particular phrases you see -in the book, and you cannot make out his meaning, because it does not -correspond with anything you have learned. - -It is evident that a dictionary is required to get at the English -meaning of what is said to you by another; while a talk-book will -suffice for what you wish to say to him; because you can select in it -and compose from it before you utter any particular phrase. - -The Danish phrase-book for Norway and Sweden is a tolerably good one, -and it holds in a short compass all the traveller wants; but I think a -book of this kind for each of the other principal languages might well -be constructed on the following basis. - -First, let us have the expression "I want," and then the English -substantives most used in travel talk, arranged in alphabetical order, -and with their foreign equivalents. Next, put the request "Will you," -and after it place each of the verbs of action generally required by -travellers. Then set forth the question, "Does the," with a column of -events formed by a noun, verb, and preposition in each, such as "coach -stop at," "road lead to," "steamer start from," &c.; and, lastly, give -us the comprehensive "Is it," with a long alphabetical list of -adjectives likely to be employed. Under these four heads, with two pages -of adverbs and numerals, I think that the primary communications with a -foreigner can be comprised; and as for conversations with him on special -subjects, such as politics, or art, or scenery, these are practically -not likely to be attempted unless you learn his language, and not merely -some of its most necessary _words_; but this study of language is not -the purpose for which you get a talk-book. - -Having now delivered a homily on international talking, it is time to be -on the move again. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - Sailing on Lucerne--Seeburg--River scenes--Night and snow--The - Reuss--A dear dinner--Seeing a rope--Passing a fall--Bremgarten - rapids. - - -When the steamer at Imyn had embarked the three sportsmen, and the -little pier was quiet, we got a cart out for the Rob Roy, and bargained -to have it rumbled over the hill to the Lake of Lucerne for the sum of -five francs--it is only half-an-hour's walk. The landlord himself came -as driver, for he was fully interested about the canoe, and he did not -omit to let people know his sentiments on the subject all along the way, -even calling out to the men plucking fruit in the apple-trees, who had -perhaps failed to notice the phenomenon which was passing on the road -beneath them. There was a permanent joke on such occasions, and, oddly -enough, it was used by the drivers in Germany as well as in Switzerland, -and was of course original and spontaneous with each of them as they -called out, "Going to America!" and then chuckled at the brilliant -remark. - -The village we came to on Lucerne was the well-known Kussnacht, that -is, _one_ of the well-known Kussnachts, for there are plenty of these -honeymoon towns in Central Europe; and with the customary assembly of -_quidnuncs_, eloquently addressed this time by the landlord-driver, the -canoe was launched on another lake, perhaps the prettiest lake in the -world. - -Like other people, and at other times, I had traversed this beautiful -water of the Four Cantons, but those only who have seen it well by -steamer and by walking, so as to know how it juts in and winds round in -intricate geography, can imagine how much better you may follow and -grasp its beauties by searching them out alone and in a canoe. - -For thus I could penetrate all the wooded nooks, and dwell on each -view-point, and visit the rocky islets, and wait long, longer--as long -as I pleased before some lofty berg, while the ground-swell gently -undulated, and the passing cloud shaded the hill with grey, and the red -flag of a steamer fluttered in a distant sunbeam, and the plash of a -barge's oar broke on the boatman's song; everything around changing just -a little, and the stream of inward thought and admiration changing too -as it flowed, but, all the time, and when the eye came back to it again, -there was the grand mountain still the same, - - "Like Teneriffe or Atlas unremoved." - -How cool the snow looked up there aloft even in the heat of summer! and, -to come down again to one's level on the water, how lively the steamer -was with the music of its band and the quick beat of its wheels curling -up white foam. Let us speed to meet it and to get a tossing in the -swell, while Jones and Smith, under the awning, cry out, "Why, to be -sure, that's the Rob Roy canoe," and Mrs. Jones and the three Miss -Smiths all lift up their heads from their "Murrays," where they have -been diligently reading the history of Switzerland from A.D. 1682, and -then the description in words of all the scenery around, although they -have suffered its speaking realities in mountain, wood, and lake to pass -unnoticed. - -As I was quite fresh (having worked chiefly the sails on Zug) and now in -good "training," so as to get on very comfortably with ten or twelve -hours' rowing in the day, I spent it all in seeing this inexhaustible -Lake of Lucerne, and yet felt that at least a dozen new pictures had -been left unseen in this rich volume of the book of nature. - -But as this book had no page in it about quarters for the night it was -time to consider these homely affairs, and to look out for an hotel; not -one of the big barracks for Englishmen spoken of before, but some quiet -place where one could stop for Sunday. Coming suddenly then round a -shady point, behold the very place! But can it be an hotel? Yes, there -is the name, "Seeburg." Is it quiet? Observe the shady walks. Bathing? -Why, there is a bath in the lake at the end of the garden. Fishing? At -least four rods are stretched over the reeds by hopeful hands, and with -earnest looks behind, watching for the faintest nibble. - -Let us run boldly in. Ten minutes, and the boat is safely in a shed, and -its captain well housed in an excellent room; and, having ordered -dinner, it was delicious to jump into the lake for a swim, all hot with -the hot day's work, and to stretch away out to the deep, and circle -round and round in these limpid waters, with a nice little bath-room to -come back to, and fresh dry clothes to put on. In the evening we had -very pretty English music, a family party improvised in an hour, and -broken up for a moonlight walk, while, all this time (one fancied), in -the big hotel of the town the guests were in stiff _coteries_, or each -set retired to its sitting-room, and lamenting how unsociable everybody -else had become. - -I never was more comfortable than here, with a few English families "en -pension," luxuriating for the sum of six francs per day, and an old -Russian General, most warlike and courteous, who would chat with you by -the hour, on the seat under the shady chestnut, and smiled at the four -persevering fishermen whose bag consisted, I believe, of three bites, -one of them allowed on all hands to have been _bonâ fide_. - -Then on Sunday we went to Lucerne, to church, where a large congregation -listened to a very good sermon from the well-known Secretary of the -Society for Colonial and Continental Churches. At least every traveller, -if not every home-stayed Englishman, ought to support this Association, -because it many times supplies just that food and rest which the soul -needs so much on a Sunday abroad, when the pleasures of foreign travel -are apt to make only the mind and body constitute the man. - -I determined to paddle from Lucerne by the river Reuss, which flows out -of the lake and through the town. This river is one of four--the Rhine, -Rhone, Reuss, and Ticino, which all rise near together in the -neighbourhood of the St. Gothard; and yet, while one flows into the -German ocean, another falls into the Mediterranean, both between them -having first made nearly the compass of Switzerland. - -The walking tourist comes often upon the rapid Reuss as it staggers and -tumbles among the Swiss mountains. To me it had a special interest, for -I once ascended the Galenhorn over the glaciers it starts from, and with -only a useless guide, who lost his head and then lost his way, and then -lost his temper and began to cry. We groped about in a fog until snow -began to fall, and the snowstorm lasted for six hours--a weary time -spent by us wandering in the dark and without food. At length we were -discovered by some people sent out with lights to search for the -benighted pleasure-seeker. - -The Reuss has many cascades and torrent gorges as it runs among the -rough crags, and it falls nearly 6,000 feet before it reaches the Lake -of Lucerne, this lake itself being still 1,400 feet above the sea. - -A gradual current towards the end of the lake entices you under the -bridge where the river starts again on its course, at first gently -enough, and as if it never could get fierce and hoarse-voiced when it -has taken you miles away into the woods and can deal with you all alone. - -The map showed the Reuss flowing into the Aar, but I could learn nothing -more about either of these rivers, except that an intelligent man said, -"The Reuss is a mere torrent," while another recounted how a man some -years ago went on the Aar in a boat, and was taken up by the police and -punished for thus perilling his life. - -Deducting from these statements the usual 50 per cent. for exaggeration, -everything appeared satisfactory, so I yielded my boat to the current, -and, at parting, waved my yellow paddle to certain fair friends who had -honoured me with their countenance, and who were now assembled on the -bridge. After this a few judicious strokes took the Rob Roy through the -town and past the pleasant environs, and we were now again upon running -water. - -The current, after a quiet beginning, soon put on a sort of "business -air," as if it did not mean to dally, and rapidly got into quick time, -threading a devious course among the woods, hayfields, and vineyards, -and it seemed not to murmur (as streams always do), but to sing with -buoyant exhilaration in the fresh brightness of the morn. - -It certainly was a change, from the sluggish feeling of dead water in -the lakes to the lively tremulous thrilling of a rapid river like the -Reuss, which, in many places, is as wide as the Rhine at Schaffhausen. -It is a wild stream, too fast for navigation, and therefore the villages -are not built on the banks, and there are no boats, and the lonely, -pathless, forest-covered banks are sometimes bleak enough when seen from -the water. - -For some miles it was easy travelling, the water being seldom less than -two feet deep, and with rocks readily visible by the eddy bubbling about -them, because they were sharp and jagged. It is the long smooth and -round-topped rock which is most treacherous in a fast river, for the -spray which the current throws round such a rock is often not different -from an ordinary wave. - -Now and then the stream was so swift that I was afraid of losing my -straw hat, simply from the breeze created by great speed--for it was a -day without wind. - -It cannot be concealed that continuous physical enjoyment such as this -tour presented is a dangerous luxury if it be not properly used. When I -thought of the hospitals of London, of the herds of squalid poor in -foetid alleys, of the pale-faced ragged boys, and the vice, sadness, -pain, and poverty we are sent to do battle with if we be Christian -soldiers, I could not help asking, "Am I right in thus enjoying such -comfort, such scenery, such health?" Certainly not right, unless to get -vigour of thought and hand, and freshened energy of mind, and larger -thankfulness and wider love, and so, with all the powers recruited, to -enter the field again more eager and able to be useful. - -In the more lonely parts of the Reuss the trees were in dense thickets -to the water's edge, and the wild ducks fluttered out from them with a -splash, and some larger birds like bustards often hovered over the -canoe. I think among the flying companions I noticed also the bunting, -or "ammer" (from which German word comes our English "yellow hammer"), -wood-pigeons, and very beautiful hawks. The herons and kingfishers were -here as well, but not so many of them as on the Danube. - -Nothing particular occurred, although it was a pleasant morning's work, -until we got through the bridge at Imyl, where an inn was high up on the -bank. The ostler helped me to carry the boat into the stable, and the -landlady audaciously charged me 4_s._ 6_d._ for my first dinner (I -always had two dinners on full working days), being pretty sure that she -need not expect her customer to stop there again. - -The navigation after this began to be more interesting, with gravel -banks and big stones to avoid, and a channel to be chosen from among -several, and the wire ropes of the ferries stretched tightly across the -river requiring to be noticed with proper respect. - -You may have observed how difficult it is, sometimes, to see a rope when -it is stretched and quite horizontal, or at any rate how hard it is to -judge correctly of its distance from your eye. This can be well noticed -in walking by the seashore among fishing-boats moored on the beach, when -you will sometimes even knock your nose against a taut hawser before you -are aware that it is so close. - -This is caused by the fact that the mind estimates the distance of an -object partly by comparing the two views of its surface obtained by the -two eyes respectively, and which views are not quite the same, but -differ, just as the two pictures prepared for the stereoscope. Each eye -sees a little round one side of the object, and the solid look of the -object and its distance are thus before the mind. - -Now when the rope is horizontal the eyes do not see round the two sides -in this manner, though if the head is leant sideways it will be found -that the illusion referred to no longer appears. - -Nor is it out of place to inquire thus at length into this matter, for I -can assure you that one or two blunt slaps on the head from these ropes -across a river make it at least interesting if not pleasant to examine -"the reason why." And now we have got the philosophy of the thing, let -us leave the ropes behind. - -The actual number of miles in a day's work is much influenced by the -number of waterfalls or artificial barriers which are too dry or too -high to allow the canoe to float over them. - -[Illustration: "Shirking a Fall."] - -In all such cases, of course, I had to get out and to drag the boat -round by the fields, as has been already described (p. 80); or to lower -her carefully among the rocks, as is shown in the accompanying sketch, -which represents the usual appearance of this part of the day's -proceedings. Although this sort of work was a change of posture, and -brought into play new muscular action, yet the strain sometimes put on -the limbs by the weight of the boat, and the great caution required -where there was only slippery footing, made these barriers to be -regarded on the whole as bores. - -Full soon however we were to forget such trifling troubles, for more -serious work impended. - -The river banks suddenly assumed a new character. They were steep and -high, and their height increased as we advanced between the two upright -walls of stratified gravel and boulders. - -A full body of water ran here, the current being of only ordinary force -at its edges, where it was interrupted by rocks, stones, and shingle, -and was thus twisted into eddies innumerable. - -To avoid these entanglements at the sides, it seemed best, on the whole, -to keep the boat in mid-channel, though the breakers were far more -dangerous there, in the full force of the stream. - -I began to think that this must be the "hard place coming," which a wise -man farther up the river had warned me was quite too much for so small a -boat, unless in flood times, when fewer rocks would be in the way. In -reply, I had told him that when we got near such a place I would pull -out my boat and drag it along the bank, if requisite. To this he said, -"Ah! but the banks are a hundred feet high." So I had mentally resolved -(but entirely forgot) to stop in good time and to climb up the rocks and -investigate matters ahead before going into an unknown run of broken -water. - -Such plans are very well in theory, but somehow the approach to these -rapids was so gradual, and the mind was so much occupied in overcoming -the particular difficulty of each moment, that no opportunity occurred -for rest or reflection. The dull heavy roar round the corner got louder -as the Rob Roy neared the great bend. For here the river makes a turn -round the whole of a letter S, in fact very nearly in a complete figure -of 8, and in wheeling thus it glides over a sloping ledge of flat rocks, -spread obliquely athwart the stream for a hundred feet on either hand, -and just a few inches below the surface. - -The canoe was swept over this singular place by the current, its keel -and sides grinding and bumping on the stones, and sliding on the soft -moss which here made the rock so slippery and black. - -The progress was aided by sundry pushes and jerks at proper times, but -we advanced altogether in a clumsy, helpless style, until at length -there came in sight the great white ridge of tossing foam where the din -was great, and a sense of excitement and confusion filled the mind. - -I was quite conscious that the sight before me was made to look worse -because of the noise around, and by the feeling of the loneliness and -powerlessness of a puny man struggling in a waste of breakers, where to -strike a single one was sure to upset the boat. - -From the nature of the place, too, it was evident that it would be -difficult to save the canoe by swimming alongside it when capsized or -foundered, and yet it was utterly impossible now to stop. - -Right in front, and in the middle, I saw the well-known wave which is -always raised when a main stream converges, as it rushes down a narrow -neck. The depression or trough of this was about two feet below, and the -crest four feet above the level, so the height of the wave was about six -feet. - -Though rather tall it was very thin and sharp-featured, and always -stationary in position, though the water composing it was going at a -tremendous pace. After this wave there was another smaller one, as -frequently happens. - -It was not the _height_ of the wave that gave any concern; had it been -at sea the boat would rise over any lofty billow, but here the wave -stood still, and the canoe was to be impelled against it with all the -force of a mighty stream, and so it _must_ go through the body of water, -for it could not have time to rise. - -And so the question remained, "What is _behind_ that wave?" for if it is -a rock then this is the last hour of the Rob Roy.[XXI.] - - [XXI.] I had not then acquired the knowledge of a valuable fact, - that a sharp wave of this kind _never_ has a rock behind it. A sharp - wave requires free water at its rear, and it is therefore in the safest - part of the river so far as concealed dangers are concerned. This at - least was the conclusion come to after frequent observation afterwards - of many such places. - -The boat plunged headlong into the shining mound of water as I clenched -my teeth and clutched my paddle. We saw her sharp prow deeply buried, -and then (I confess) my eyes were shut involuntarily, and before she -could rise the mass of solid water struck me with a heavy blow full in -the breast, closing round my neck as if cold hands gripped me, and quite -taking away my breath.[XXII.] - - [XXII.] See a faithful representation of this incident, so far as - relates to the water, in the Frontispiece. - -Vivid thoughts coursed through the brain in this exciting moment, but -another slap from the lesser wave, and a whirl round in the eddy below, -told that the battle was over soon, and the little boat slowly rose from -under a load of water, which still covered my arms, and then, trembling, -and as if stunned by the heavy shock, she staggered to the shore. The -river too had done its worst, and it seemed now to draw off from -hindering us, and so I clung to a rock to rest for some minutes, panting -with a tired thrilling of nervousness and gladness strangely mingled. - -Although the weight of water had been so heavy on my body and legs, very -little of it had got inside under the waterproof covering, for the whole -affair was done in a few seconds, and though everything in front was -completely drenched up to my necktie, the back of my coat was scarcely -wet. Most fortunately I had removed the flag from its usual place about -an hour before, and thus it was preserved from being swept away. - -Well, now it is over, and we are rested, and begin with a fresh start; -for there is still some work to do in threading a way among the -breakers. The main point, however, has been passed, and the difficulties -after it look small, though at other times they might receive attention. - -Here is our resting-place, the old Roman town of Bremgarten, which is -built in a hollow of this very remarkable serpent bend of the rapid -Reuss. The houses are stuck on the rocks, and abut on the river itself, -and as the stream bore me past these I clung to the doorstep of a -washerwoman's house, and pulled my boat out of the water into her very -kitchen, to the great amusement and surprise of the worthy lady, who -wondered still more when I hauled the canoe again through the other side -of her room until it fairly came out to the street behind! - -It must have astonished the people to see a canoe thus suddenly -appearing on their quiet pavement. They soon crowded round and bore her -to the hotel, which was a moderately bad one. Next morning the bill was -twelve francs, nearly double its proper amount; and thus we encountered -in one day the only two extortionate innkeepers met with at all.[XXIII.] - - [XXIII.] However, I made the landlord here take eight francs as a - compromise. - -This quaint old place, with high walls and a foss, and several -antiquities, was well worth the inspection of my early morning walk next -day, and then the Rob Roy was ordered to the door. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Hunger--Music at the mill--Sentiment and chops--River - Limmat--Fixed on a fall--On the river Aar--The Rhine - again--Douaniers--Falls of Lauffenburg--The cow cart. - - -The wetting and excitement of yesterday made me rather stiff in -beginning again; and anon, when a rushing sound was heard in front I was -aware of a new anxiety as to whether this might not mean the same sort -of rough work as yesterday's over again, whereas hitherto this sound of -breakers to come had always promised nothing but pleasure. However, -things very soon came back to their old way, a continuous and varied -enjoyment from morning to night. - -The river was rapid again, but with no really difficult places. I saw -one raft in course of preparation, though there were not many boats, for -as the men there said, "How could we get boats _up_ that stream?" - -The villages near the river were often so high up on lofty cliffs, or -otherwise unsuitable, that I went on for some miles trying in vain to -fix on one for my (No. 1) dinner. Each bend of the winding water held -out hopes that down there at last, or round that bluff cape at farthest, -there must be a proper place to breakfast. But when it was now long past -the usual hour, and the shores got less inhabited and hunger more -imperative, we determined to land at a mill which overhung the stream in -a picturesque spot. - -I landed unobserved. This was a blunder in diplomacy, for the canoe was -always good as credentials; but I climbed up the bank and through the -garden, and found the hall door open; so I walked timidly into a large, -comfortable house, leaving my paddle outside lest it might be regarded -as a bludgeon. I had come as a beggar, not a burglar. - -The chords of a piano, well struck and by firm fingers, led me towards -the drawing-room; for to hear music is almost to make sure of welcome in -a house, and it was so now. - -My bows and reverences scarcely softened the exceedingly strange -appearance I must have made as an intruder, clothed in universal -flannel, and offering ten thousand apologies in French, German, and -English for thus dropping down from the clouds, that is to say, climbing -up from the water. - -The young miller rose from the piano, and bowed. His fair sister -stopped her sweet song, and blushed. For my part, being only a sort of -"casual," I modestly asked for bread and wine, and got hopelessly -involved in an effort to explain how I had come by the river -unperceived. The excessive courtesy of my new friends was embarrassing, -and was further complicated by the arrival of another young lady, even -more surprised and hospitable. - -Quickly the refreshments were set on the table, and the miller sealed -the intimacy by lighting his ample pipe. Our conversation was of the -most lively and unintelligible character, and soon lapsed into music, -when Beethoven and Goss told all we had to say in chants and symphonies. - -The inevitable sketch-book whiled away a good hour, till the ladies were -joined by a third damsel, and the adventures of Ulysses had to be told -to three Penelopes at once. The miller's party became humorous to a -degree, and they resisted all my efforts to get away, even when the -family dinner was set on the board, and the domestic servants and -farm-labourers came in to seat themselves at a lower table. This was a -picture of rural life not soon to be forgotten. - -The stately grandmamma of the mansion now advanced, prim and stiff, and -with dignity and matronly grace entreated the stranger to join their -company. The old oak furniture was lightened by a hundred little trifles -worked by the women, or collected by the tasteful diligence of their -brother; and the sun shone, and the mill went round, and the river -rolled by, and all was kindness, "because you are an Englishman." - -The power of the _Civis Romanus_ is far better shown when it draws forth -kindness, than when it compels fear. But as respects the formal -invitation it would not do to stop and eat, and it would not do to stop -and not eat, or to make the potatoes get cold, or the granddames' dinner -too late; so I _must_ go, even though the girls had playfully hidden my -luggage to keep the guest among them. - -The whole party, therefore, adjourned to the little nook where my boat -had been left concealed; and when they caught sight of its tiny form, -and its little fluttering flag, the young ladies screamed with delight -and surprise, clapping their hands and waving adieux as we paddled away. - -I left this happy, pleasant scene with mingled feelings, and tried to -think out what was the daily life in this sequestered mill; and if my -paddling did for a time become a little sentimental, it may be pardoned -by travellers who have come among kind friends where they expected -perhaps a cold rebuff. - -The romantic effect of all this was to make me desperately hungry, for -be it known that bread and wine and Beethoven will not do to dine upon -if you are rowing forty miles in the sun. So it must be confessed that -when an hour afterwards I saw an auberge by the water's edge it became -necessary to stifle my feelings by ordering an omelette and two chops. - -The table was soon spread under a shady pear-tree just by the water, and -the Rob Roy rested gently on the ripples at my feet. - -The pleasures of this sunny hour of well-earned repose, freshened by a -bunch of grapes and a pear plucked from above my head, were just a -little troubled by a slight apprehension that some day the miller's -sister might come by and hear how had been comforted my lacerated heart. - -Again "to boat," and down by the shady trees, under the towering rocks, -over the nimble rapids, and winding among orchards, vineyards, and -wholesome scented hay, the same old story of constant varied pleasure. - -The hills were in front now, and their contour showed that some rivers -were to join company with the Reuss, which here rolled on a fine broad -stream, like the Thames at Putney. Presently the Limmat flowed in at one -side, and at the other the river Aar, which last then gives the name to -all the three, though it did not appear to be the largest. - -This is not the only Aar among the rivers, but it is the "old original -Aar," which Swiss travellers regard as an acquaintance after they have -seen it dash headlong over the rocks at Handek. - -It takes its rise from two glaciers, one of them the Finster Aar -glacier, not far from Grimsel; and to me this gave it a special -interest, for I had been hard pushed once in the wilds near that homely -Hospice. - -It was on an afternoon some years ago, when I came from the Furca, by -the Rhone glacier to the foot of the valley, walking with two Germans; -and as they were rather "muffs," and meant to stop there, I -thoughtlessly set off alone to climb the rocks and to get to the Grimsel -by myself. - -This is easy enough in daylight, but it was nearly six o'clock when I -started, and late in September; so after a short half-hour of mounting, -the snow began to fall, and the darkness was not made less by the white -flakes drifting across it. By some happy conjuncture I managed to scale -the pathless mountain, and struck on a little stream which had often to -be forded in the dark, but was always leading to the desired valley. - -At length the light of the Hospice shone welcome as a haven to steer -for, and I soon joined the pleasant English guests inside, and bought a -pair of trousers from the waiter at 3_s._ 6_d._ for a change in the wet. - -But paddling on the Aar had no great danger where we met it now, for the -noisy, brawling torrent was sobered by age, and after much knocking -about in the world it had settled into a steady and respectable river. - -A few of my friends, the snags, were however lodged in the water -hereabouts, and as they bobbed their heads in uneasy beds, and the river -was much discoloured, it became worth while to keep a sharp lookout for -them. - -The "river tongue," explained already as consisting of sign language -with a parallel comment in loud English, was put to a severe test on a -wide stream like this. Consider, for example, how you could best ask the -following question (speaking by signs and English only) from a man who -is on the bank over there a hundred yards distant. - -"Is it better for me to go over to those rocks, and keep on the left of -that island, or to pull my boat out at these stumps, and drag her on -land into this channel?" - -One comfort is the man made out my meaning, for did he not answer, "Ya -vol?" He could not have done more had we both learned the same -language, unless indeed he had _heard_ what I said. - -Mills occurred here and there. Some of these had the waterwheel simply -built on the river; others had it so arranged as to allow the shaft to -be raised or lowered to suit the varying height of water in floods and -droughts. Others had it floating on barges. Others, again, had a half -weir built diagonally across part of the river; and it was important to -look carefully at this wall so as to see on which side it ought to be -kept in selecting the best course. In a few cases there was another -construction; two half weirs, converged gradually towards the middle of -the river, forming a letter V, with its sharp end turned _up_ the -stream, and leaving a narrow opening there, through which a torrent -flowed, with rough waves dancing merrily in the pool below. - -I had to "shoot" several of these, and at other times to get out and -lower the boat down them, in the manner explained before. - -On one occasion I was in an unaccountably careless fit, and instead of -first examining the depth of the water on the edge of the little fall, I -resolved to go straight at it and take my chance. - -It must be stated that while a depth of three inches is enough for the -canoe to float in when all its length is in the water, the same depth -will by no means suffice at the upper edge of a fall. For when the boat -arrives there the fore part, say six or seven feet of it, projects for a -time over the fall and out of the water, and is merely in the air, -without support, so that the centre of the keel will sink at least six -or seven inches; and if there be not more water than this the keel -catches the crest of the weir, and the boat will then stop, and perhaps -swing round, after which it must fall over sideways, unless considerable -dexterity is used in the management. - -Although a case of this sort had occurred to me before, I got again into -the same predicament, which was made far more puzzling as the fore end -of the boat went under a rock at the bottom of the fall, and thus the -canoe hung upon the edge, and would go neither one way nor another.[XXIV.] -It would also have been very difficult to get out of the boat in this -position; for to jump feet foremost would have broken the boat--to -plunge in head first might have broken my head on the rocks below. - - [XXIV.] This adventure was the result of temporary carelessness, - while that at the rapids was the result of impatience, for the passage - of these latter could probably have been effected without encountering - the central wave had an hour or two been spent in examining the place. - Let not any tourist, then, be deterred from a paddle on the Reuss, which - is a perfectly suitable river, with no unavoidable dangers. - -[Illustration: "Fixed on the fall."] - -The canoe was much wrenched in my struggles, which ended, however, by -man and boat tumbling down sideways, and, marvellous to say, quite -safely to the bottom. - -This performance was not one to be proud of. Surely it was like -ingratitude to treat the Rob Roy thus, exposing it to needless risk when -it had carried me so far and so well. - -The Aar soon flows into the Rhine, and here is our canoe on old Rhenus -once more, with the town of Waldshut ("end of the forest") leaning over -the high bank to welcome us near. - -There is a lower path and a row of little houses at the bottom of the -cliff, past which the Rhine courses with rapid eddies deep and strong. -Here an old fisherman soon spied me, and roared out his biography at the -top of his voice; how he had been a courier in Lord Somebody's family; -how he had journeyed seven years in Italy, and could fish with -artificial flies, and was seventy years old, with various other reasons -why I should put my boat into his house. - -He was just the man for the moment; but first those two uniformed -_douaniers_ must be dealt with, and I had to satisfy their dignity by -paddling up the strong current to their lair; for the fly had touched -the spiders' web and the spiders were too grand to come out and seize -it. Good humour, and smiles, and a little judicious irony as to the -absurd notion of overhauling a canoe which could be carried on your -back, soon made them release me, if only to uphold their own dignity, -and I left the boat in the best drawing-room of the ex-courier, and -ascended the hill to the hotel aloft. - -But the man came too, and he had found time to prepare an amended report -of the boat's journey for the worthy landlord, so, as usual, there was -soon everything ready for comfort and good cheer. - -Waldshut is made up of one wide street almost closed at the end, and -with pretty gardens about it, and a fine prospect from its high -position; but an hour's walk appeared to exhaust all the town could -show, though the scenery round such a place is not to be done with in -this brief manner. - -The visitors soon came to hear and see more nearly what the newspapers -had told them of the canoe. One gentleman, indeed, seemed to expect me -to unfold the boat from my pocket, for a French paper had spoken about a -man going over the country "with a canoe under his arm." The evening was -enlivened by some signals, burned at my bedroom-window to lighten up the -street, which little entertainment was evidently entirely new--to the -Waldshutians at least. - -Before we start homewards on the Rhine with our faces due West, it may -be well very briefly to give the log bearings and direction of the -canoe's voyage up to this point. - -First, by the Thames, July 29, E. (East), to Shoeburyness, thence to -Sheerness, S. From that by rail to Dover, and by steamer to Ostend, and -rail again, Aug. 7, to the Meuse, along which the course was nearly E., -until its turn into Holland, N.E. Then, Aug. 11, to the Rhine, S.E., and -ascending it nearly S., until at Frankfort, Aug. 17, we go N.E. by rail -to Asschaffenburg, and by the river wind back again to Frankfort in -wide curves. Farther up the Rhine, Aug. 24, our course is due S., till -from Freyburg the boat is carted E. to the Titisee, and to -Donaueschingen, and, Aug. 28, descends the Danube, which there flows -nearly E., but with great bends to N. and S. until, Sept. 2, we are at -Ulm. The rail next carries us S. to the Lake of Constance, which is -sailed along in a course S.W., and through the Zeller See to -Schaffhausen, Sept. 7, about due W. Thence turning S. to Zurich, and -over the lake and the neck of land, and veering to the W. by Zug, we -arrive on Lucerne, Sept. 10, where the southernmost point of the voyage -is reached, and then our prow points to N., till, Sept. 12, we land at -Waldshut. - -This devious course had taken the boat to several different kingdoms and -states--Holland, Belgium, France, Wurtemburg, Bavaria, and the Grand -Duchy of Baden, Rhenish Prussia, the Palatinate, Switzerland, and the -pretty Hollenzollern Sigmaringen. Now we had come back again to the very -Grand Duchy again, a land where all travellers must mind their p's and -q's. - -The ex-courier took the canoe from his wife's washing-tubs and put her -on the Rhine, and then he spirited my start by recounting the lively -things we must expect soon to meet. I must take care to "keep to the -right," near the falls of Lauffenburg, for an English lord had been -carried over them and drowned;[XXV.] and I must beware of Rheinfelden -rapids, because an Englishman had tried to descend them in a boat with a -fisherman, and their craft was capsized and the fisherman was drowned; -and I must do this here, and that there, and so many other things -everywhere else, that all the directions were jumbled up together. But -it seemed to relieve the man to tell his tale, and doubtless he sat down -to his breakfast comfortable in mind and body, and cut his meat into -little bits, and then changed the fork to the right hand to eat them -every one, as they all do hereabouts, with every appearance of content. - - [XXV.] This was Lord Montague, the last of his line, and on the - same day his family mansion of Cowdray, in Sussex, was burned to the - ground. - -Up with the sails! for the East wind freshens, and the fair wide river -hurries along. This was a splendid scene to sail in, with lofty banks of -rock, and rich meads, or terraces laden with grapes. After a good -morning's pleasure here the wind suddenly rose to a gale, and I took in -my jib just in time, for a sort of minor hurricane came on, raising tall -columns of dust on the road alongside, blowing off men's hats, and -whisking up the hay and leaves and branches high into the air. - -Still I kept the lug-sail set; and with wind and current in the same -direction I scudded faster than I ever sailed before in my life. Great -exertion was required to manage a light skiff safely with such a -whirlwind above and a whirlwater below; one's nerves were kept in -extreme tension, and it was a half-hour of pleasant excitement. - -For this reason it was that I did not for some time notice a youth who -had been running after the boat, yelling and shrieking, and waving his -coat in the air. - -We drew nearer to him, and "luffed up," hailing him with, "What's the -matter?" and he could only pant out "Wasserfall, Wasserfall, funf -minuten!"----the breeze had brought me within a hundred yards of the -falls of Lauffenburg,--the whistle of the wind had drowned the roar of -the water. - -I crossed to the right bank (as the ex-courier had directed), but the -youth's loud cries to come to the "links," or left side, at last -prevailed, and he was right in this. The sail was soon lowered, and the -boat was hauled on a raft, and then this fine young fellow explained -that five minutes more would have turned the corner and drawn me into -the horrid current sweeping over the falls. - -While he set off in search of a cart to convey the boat, I had time to -pull her up the high bank and make all snug for a drive, and anon he -returned with a very grotesque carter and a most crazy vehicle, -actually drawn by a milch cow! All three of us laughed as we hoisted the -Rob Roy on this cart, and the cow kicked vehemently, either at the cart, -or the boat, or the laughing. - -Our procession soon entered the little town, but it was difficult to be -dignified. As the cart with a screeching wheel rattled slowly over the -big round stones of the street, vacant at midday, the windows were soon -full of heads, and after one peep at us, down they rushed to see the -fun.[XXVI.] A cow drawing a boat to the door of a great hotel is -certainly a quaint proceeding; although in justice to the worthy -quadruped I should mention that she now behaved in a proper and ladylike -manner. - - [XXVI.] A sketch of this cow-cart will be found, _post_, page 213. - -Here the public hit upon every possible way but the right one to -pronounce the boat's name, painted in blue letters on its bow. Sometimes -it was "Roab Ro," at others "Rubree," but at length a man in spectacles -called out, "Ah! ah! Valtarescote!" The mild Sir Walter's novels had not -been written in vain. - -The falls of Lauffenburg[XXVII.] can be seen well from the bridge which -spans the river, much narrowed at this spot. - - [XXVII.] "Lauffenburg" means the "town of the falls," from "laufen," - to run; and the Yankee term "loafer" may come from this "herum laufer," - one running about. - -A raft is coming down as we look at the thundering foam--of course -without the men upon it; see the great solid frame that seems to resent -the quickening of its quiet pace, and to hold back with a presentiment -of evil as every moment draws it nearer to the plunge. - -Crash go all the bindings, and the huge, sturdy-logs are hurled -topsy-turvy into the gorge, bouncing about like chips of firewood, and -rattling among the foam. Nor was it easy to look calmly on this without -thinking how the frail canoe would have fared in such a cauldron of cold -water boiling. - -The salmon drawn into this place get terribly puzzled by it, and so are -caught by hundreds in great iron cages lowered from the rocks for this -purpose. Fishing stations of the same kind are found at several points -on the river, where a stage is built on piles, and a beam supports a -strong net below. In a little house, like a sentry-box, you notice a man -seated, silent and lonely, while he holds tenderly in his hand a dozen -strings, which are fastened to the edges of the net. When a fish is -beguiled into the snare, or is borne in by the swift current -bewildering, the slightest vibrations of the net are thrilled along the -cords to the watcher's hand, and then he raises the great beam and -secures the prize. - -My young friend, who had so kindly warned me, and hired the cow, and -shown the salmon, I now invited to breakfast, and he became the hero of -the hour, being repeatedly addressed by the other inquirers in an -unpronounceable German title, which signifies, in short, "Man -preserver." - -Here we heard again of a certain four-oared boat, with five Englishmen -in it, which had been sent out from London overland to Schaffhausen, and -then descended the Rhine rowing swiftly. This, the people said, had come -to Lauffenburg about six weeks before, and I fully sympathised with the -crew in their charming pull, especially if the weather was such as we -had enjoyed; that is to say, not one shower in the boat from the source -of the Danube to the Palace of Westminster. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - Field of Foam--Precipice--Puzzled--Philosophy--Rheinfelden - Rapids--Dazzled--Astride--Fate of the Four-oar--Very Salt--The - Ladies--Whirlpool--Funny English--A baby--The bride. - - -The canoe was now fixed on a hand-cart and dragged once more through the -streets to a point below the falls, and the Rob Roy became very lively -on the water after its few hours of rest. All was brilliant around, and -deep underneath, and azure above, and happy within, till the dull -distant sound of breakers began and got louder, and at last could not be -ignored; we have come to the rapids of Rheinfelden. - -The exaggeration with which judicious friends at each place describe the -dangers to be encountered is so general in these latitudes, that one -learns to receive it calmly, but the scene itself when I came to the -place was certainly puzzling and grand. - -Imagine some hundreds of acres all of water in white crested waves, -varied only by black rocks resisting a struggling torrent, and a loud, -thundering roar, mingled with a strange hissing, as the spray from ten -thousand sharp-pointed billows is tossed into the air. - -And then you are alone, too, and the banks are high, and you have a -precious boat to guard. - -While there was time to do it I stood up in my boat to survey, but it -was a mere horizon of waves, and nothing could be learned from looking. -Then I coasted towards one side where the shrubs and trees hanging in -the water brushed the paddle, and seemed so safe because they were on -shore. - -The rapids of Bremgarten could probably be passed most easily by keeping -to the edge, though with much delay and numerous "getting outs," but an -attempt now to go along the side in this way was soon shown to be -useless, for presently I came to a lofty rock jutting out into the -stream, and the very loud roar behind it fortunately attracted so much -attention that I pulled into the bank, made the boat fast, and mounted -through the thicket to the top of the cliff. - -I saw at once that to try to pass by this rock in any boat would be -madness, for the swiftest part of the current ran right under the -projecting crag, and then wheeled round and plunged over a height of -some feet into a pool of foam, broken fragments, and powerful waves. - -Next, would it be just possible to float the boat past the rock while I -might hold the painter from above? The rock on careful measurement was -found too high for this. - -To see well over the cliff I had to lie down on my face, and the -pleasant curiosity felt at first, as to how I should have to act, now -gradually sickened into the sad conviction, "Impossible!" Then was the -time to turn with earnest eyes to the wide expanse of the river, and see -if haply, somewhere at least, even in the middle, a channel might be -traced. Yes, there certainly was a channel, only one, very far out, and -very difficult to hit upon when you sit in a boat quite near the level -of the water; but the attempt must be made, or stay,--might I not get -the boat carried round by land? Under the trees far off were men who -might be called to help, labourers quietly working, and never minding -me. I was tempted, but did not yield. - -For a philosophical thought had come upmost, that, after all, the boat -had not to meet _every_ wave and rock now visible, and the thousand -breakers dashing around, but only a certain few which would be on each -side in my crooked and untried way; of the rocks in any one line--say -fifty of them between me and any point--only two would become a new -danger in crossing that line. - -Then again, rapids look worse from the shore than they really are, -because you see all their difficulties at once, and you hear the -general din. On the other hand, waves look much smaller from the bank -(being half hidden by others) than you find them to be when the boat is -in the trough between two. The hidden rocks may make a channel which -looks good enough from the land, to be quite impracticable when you -attempt it in the water. - -Lastly, the current is seen to be swifter from the shore where you can -observe its speed from a fixed point, than it seems when you are in the -water where you notice only its velocity in relation to the stream on -each side, which is itself all the time running at four or five miles an -hour. But it is the positive speed of the current that ought really to -be considered, for it is by this the boat will be urged against a -breaker stationary in the river. - -To get to this middle channel at once from the place where I had left my -boat was not possible. We must enter it higher up the river, so I had to -pull the canoe up stream, over shallows, and along the bristly margin, -wading, towing, and struggling, for about half a mile, till at length it -seemed we must be high enough up stream to let me paddle out swiftly -across, while the current would take the boat sideways to the rough -water. - -And now in a little quiet bay I rested half an hour to recover strength -after this exertion, and to prepare fully for a "spurt," which might -indeed be delayed in starting, but which, once begun, must be vigorous -and all watchful to the end. - -Here various thoughts blended and tumbled about in the mind most -disorderly. To leave this quiet bank and willingly rush out, in cold -blood, into a field of white breakers; to tarnish the fair journey with -a foolhardy prank; to risk the Rob Roy where the touch of one rock was -utter destruction. Will it be pleasant? Can it be wise? Is it right? - -The answer was, to sponge out every drop of water from the boat, to -fasten the luggage inside, that it might not fall out in an upset, to -brace the waterproof cover all tight around, and to get its edge in my -teeth ready to let go in capsizing, and then to pull one gentle stroke -which put the boat's nose out of the quiet water into the fast stream, -and hurrah! we are off at a swinging pace. - -The sun, now shining exactly up stream, was an exceedingly uncomfortable -addition to the difficulties; for its glancing beams confounded all the -horizon in one general band of light, so that rocks, waves, solid water, -and the most flimsy foam were all the same at a little distance. This, -the sole disadvantage of a cloudless sky, was so much felt in my -homeward route that I sometimes prolonged the morning's work by three or -four hours (with sun behind or on one side), so as to shorten the -evening's _quota_ where it was dead in the eye of the sun. On the -present occasion, when it was of great moment to hit the channel -exactly, I could not see it at all, even with my blue spectacles on. -They seemed to be utterly powerless against such a fiery blaze; and, -what was almost worse, my eyes were thereby so dazzled that on looking -to nearer objects I could scarcely see them either. - -This unexpected difficulty was so serious that I thought for a moment of -keeping on in my present course (directed straight across the river), so -as to attain the opposite side, and there to wait for the sun to go -down. - -But it was already too late to adopt this plan, for the current had been -swiftly bearing me down stream, and an instant decision must be made. -"Now," thought I, "judging by the number of paddle-strokes, we must -surely be opposite the channel in the middle, and now I must turn to -it." - -By a happy hit, the speed and the direction of the canoe were both well -fitted, so that when the current had borne us to the breakers the boat's -bow was just turned exactly down stream, and I entered the channel -whistling for very loneliness, like a boy in the dark. - -But it was soon seen to be "all right, Englishman;" so in ten minutes -more the canoe had passed the rapids, and we floated along pleasantly on -that confused "bobbery" of little billows always found below broken -water,--a sort of mob of waves, which for a time seem to be elbowing and -jostling in all directions to find their proper places. - -I saw here two fishermen by one of the salmon traps described above, and -at once pulled over to them, to land on a little white bank of sand, -that I might rest, and bale out, and hear the news. - -The men asked if I had come down the rapids in that boat. "Yes." "By the -middle channel?" "Yes." They smiled to each other, and then both at once -commenced a most voluble and loud-spoken address in the vilest of -patois. Their eagerness and energy rose to such a pitch that I began to -suppose they were angry; but the upshot of all this eloquence (always -louder when you are seen not to understand one word of it) was this, -"There are other rapids to come. You will get there in half an hour. -They are far worse than what you have passed. Your boat _must_ be -carried round them on land." - -To see if this was said to induce me to employ them as porters, I asked -the men to come along in their boat, so as to be ready to help me; but -they consulted together, and did not by any means agree in admiring this -proposal. Then I asked them to explain the best route through the next -rapids, when they drew such confused diagrams on the sand, and gave such -complicated directions, that it was impossible to make head or tail of -their atrocious jargon; so I quietly bowed, wiped out the sand pictures -with my foot, and started again happy and free; for it is really the -case that in these things "ignorance is bliss." The excitement of -finding your way, and the satisfaction when you have found it yourself, -is well worth all the trouble. Just so in mountain travel. If you go -merely to work the muscles, and to see the view, it will do to be tied -by a rope to three guides, and to follow behind them; but then _theirs_ -is all the mental exertion, and tact, and judgment, while yours is only -the merit of keeping up with the leaders, treading in their steps. And -therefore I have observed that there is less of this particular pleasure -of the discoverer when one is ascending Mont Blanc, where by traditional -rule one must be tied to the guides, than in making out a path over a -mountain pass undirected, though the heights thus climbed up are not so -great. - -When the boat got near the lower rapids, I went ashore and walked for -half a mile down the bank, and so was able to examine the bearings well. -It appeared practicable to get along by the shallower parts of one side, -so this was resolved upon as my course. - -It is surely quite fair to go by the easiest way, provided there is no -carrying overland adopted, or other plan for shirking the water. The -method accordingly used in this case was rather a novel mode of -locomotion, and it was quite successful, as well as highly amusing. - -In the wide plain of breakers here, the central district seemed -radically bad, so we cautiously kept out of the main current, and went -where the stream ran fast enough nevertheless. I sat stridelegs on the -deck of the boat near its stern, and was thus floated down until the -bow, projecting out of the water, went above a ridge of rocks, and the -boat grounded. Thus I received the shock against my legs (hanging in the -water), so that the violence of its blow was eased off from the boat. - -Then I immediately fixed both feet on the rock, and stood up, and the -canoe went free from between my knees, and could be lowered down or -pushed forward until the water got deeper, and when it got too deep to -wade after her I pulled the boat back between my knees, and sat down -again on it as before. - -[Illustration: "Astride the Stern."] - -The chief difficulty in this proceeding was to be equally attentive at -once to keep hold of the boat, to guide it between rocks, to keep hold -of the paddle, and to manage not to tumble on loose stones, or to get -into the water above the waist. - -Thus by successive riding and ferrying over the deep pools, and walking -and wading in the shallows, by pushing the boat here, and by being -carried upon it there, the lower rapids of Rheinfelden were most -successfully passed without any damage. - -It will be seen from the description already given of the rapids at -Bremgarten, and now of these two rapids on the Rhine, that the main -difficulties are only for him who goes there uninformed, and that these -can be avoided by examining them on the spot at the cost of a walk and a -short delay. But the pleasure is so much enhanced by the whole thing -being novel, that, unless for a man who wishes simply to _get past_, it -is better to seek a channel for oneself, even if a much easier one has -been found out by other people. - -The town of Rheinfelden was now in view, and I began to wonder how the -English four-oar boat we had traced as far as Lauffenburg could have -managed to descend the rapids just now passed. But I learned afterwards -that the four-oar had come there in a time of flood, when rocks would be -covered, and probably with only such eddies as I have already noticed -higher up the river where it was deep. So they pulled on bravely to -Bâle, where the hotel folks mentioned that when the five moist Britons -arrived their clothes and baggage were all drenched, and the waiter -said, with a malicious grin, that thereby his friend the washerwoman -had earned twenty-seven francs in one night. - -On the left bank of the river was a large building with a smooth gravel -shore in front, to which I steered at once. This was the great -salt-water baths of Rheinfelden--a favourite resort for crippled -invalids. The salt rock in the earth beneath impregnates the springs -with such an intensity of brine that eighty per cent. of fresh water has -to be added before the saline mixture can be medicinally employed as a -bath. If you take a glass of the water as it proceeds from the spring, -and put a little salt in it, the salt will not dissolve, the water is -already saturated. A drop of it put on your coat speedily dries up and -leaves a white stain of minute crystals. In fact, this water seemed to -me to be far more saline than even the water of the Dead Sea, which is -in all conscience salt enough, as every one knows who has rubbed it on -his face in that reeking-hot death-stricken valley of Jericho. - -Though the shore was pleasant here and the water was calm, I found no -one to welcome me now, and yet this was the only time I had reason to -expect somebody to greet the arrival of the canoe. For in the morning a -worthy German had told me he was going by train to Rheinfelden, and he -would keep a look out for the canoe, and would surely meet me on the -beach if I "ever got through the rapids." But I found afterwards that he -_had_ come there, and with his friends, too, and they had waited and -waited till at last they gave up the Rob Roy as a "missing ship." -Excellent man, he must have had some novel excuses to comfort his -friends with as they retired, disappointed, after waiting in vain! - -There was however, not far off, a poor woman washing clothes by the -river, and thumping and bullying them with a wooden bludgeon as if her -sole object was to smash up the bachelor's shirt-buttons. A fine boy of -eight years old was with her, a most intelligent little fellow, whose -quick eye at once caught sight of the Rob Roy as it dashed round the -point into the smooth water of the bay, and landed me there a tired, -tanned traveller, wet and warm. - -This juvenile helped me more than any man ever did, and with such -alacrity, too, and intelligence, and good humour, that I felt grateful -to the boy. We spread out the sails to dry, and my socks and shoes in -the sun, and sponged out the boat, and then dragged her up the high -bank. Here, by good luck, we found two wheels on an axle left alone, for -what purpose I cannot imagine; but we got a stick and fastened it to -them as a pole, and then put the boat on this extemporized vehicle, and -with the boy (having duly got permission from his mamma) soon pulled the -canoe to the gates of the old town, and then rattling through the -streets, even to the door of the hotel. A bright franc in the lad's hand -made him start with amaze, but he instantly rose to the dignity of the -occasion, and some dozens of other urchins formed an attentive audience -as he narrated over and over the events of the last half-hour, and ended -always by showing the treasure in his hand, "and the Herr gave me this!" - -The Krone hotel here is very prettily situated. It is a large house, -with balconies overlooking the water, and a babbling _jet d'eau_ in its -garden, which is close by the river. - -The stream flows fast in front, and retains evidence of having passed -through troublous times higher up; therefore it makes no small noise as -it rushes under the arches of the covered wooden bridge, but though -there are rocks and a few eddies the passage is easy enough if you look -at it for five minutes to form a mental chart of your course. My German -friend having found out that the canoe had arrived after all, his -excitement and pleasure abounded. Now he was proved right. Now his -promises, broken as it seemed all day, were all fulfilled. - -He was a very short, very fat, and very hilarious personage, with a -minute smattering of English, which he had to speak loudly, so as to -magnify its value among his Allemand friends, envious of his -accomplishment. - -His explanations of the contents of my sketch-book were truly ludicrous -as he dilated on it page by page, but he well deserved all gratitude for -ordering my hotel bedroom and its comforts, which were never more -acceptable than now after a hard day's work. Music finished the evening, -and then the hum of the distant rapids sung me a lullaby breathing soft -slumber. - -Next morning, as there was but a short row to Bâle, I took a good long -rest in bed, and then carried the canoe half way across the bridge where -a picturesque island is formed into a terraced garden, and here we -launched the boat on the water. Although the knocks and strains of the -last few days were very numerous, and many of them of portentous force, -judging by the sounds they made, the Rob Roy was still hale and hearty, -and the carpenter's mate had no damages to report to the captain. It was -not until harder times came, in the remainder of the voyage, that her -timbers suffered and her planks were tortured by rough usage. - -A number of ladies patronized the start on this occasion, and as they -waved their parasols and the men shouted Hoch! and Bravo! we glided -down stream, the yellow paddle being waved round my head in an original -mode of "salute," which I invented specially for returning friendly -gratulations of this kind. - -Speaking about Rheinfelden, Baedeker says, "Below the town another rapid -of the Rhine forms a sort of whirlpool called the Höllenhaken," a -formidable announcement, and a terrible name; but what is called here a -"whirlpool" is not worth notice. - -The sound of a railway train beside the river reminds you that this is -not quite a strange, wild, unseen country. Reminds you I say, because -really when you are in the river bed, you easily forget all that is -beyond it on each side. - -Let a landscape be ever so well known from the road, it becomes new -again when you view it from the level of the water. For before the scene -was bounded by a semicircle with the diameter on the horizon, and the -arch of sky for its circumference. But when you are seated in the canoe, -the picture changes to the form of a great sector, with its point on the -clear water, and each radius inclining aloft through rocks, trees, and -mossy banks, on this side and on that. And this holds good even on a -well worn river like the Thames. The land-scenes between Oxford and -London get pretty well known and admired by travellers, but the views -will seem both fresh and fair if you row down the river through them. -Nay, there are few rivers which have such lovely scenery as the Thames -can show in its windings along that route. - -But our canoe is now getting back to civilization, and away from that -pleasant simplicity where everything done in the streets or the hotel is -strange to a stranger. Here we have composite candles and therefore no -snuffers; here the waiter insists on speaking English, and sitting down -by me, and clutching my arm, he confidentially informs me that there are -no "bean green," translating "haricots verts," but that perhaps I might -like a "flower caul," so we assent to a cauliflower. - -This is funny enough, but far more amusing is it when the woman waiter -of some inland German village shouts louder German to you, because that -she rattles out at first is not understood. She gazes with a new -sensation at a guest who actually cannot comprehend her voluble words, -and then guest and waiter burst into laughter. - -Here too I saw a boat towed along the Rhine--a painful evidence of being -near commerce, even though it was in a primitive style; not that there -was any towing-path, but men walked among the bushes, pulling the boat -with a rope, and often wading to do so. This sight told me at once that -I had left the fine free forests where you might land anywhere, and it -was sure to be lonely and charming. - -After a few bends westward we come in sight of the two towers of Bâle, -but the setting sun makes it almost impossible to see anything in its -brightness, so we must only paddle on. - -The bridge at Bâle was speedily covered by the idle and the curious as -the canoe pulled up at an hotel a few yards from the water on Sept. -14th. - -It was here that the four-oared boat had arrived some weeks ago with its -moist crew. The proprietor of the house was therefore much pleased to -see another English boat come in, so little and so lonely, but still so -comfortable and so dry. I walked about the town and entered a church -(Protestant here of course), where a number of people had assembled at a -baptism. The baby was fixed on a sort of frame, so as to be easily -handed about from mother to father, and from clerk to minister; I hereby -protest against this mechanical arrangement as a flagrant indignity to -the little darling. I have a great respect for babies, sometimes a -certain awe. - -The instant the christening was done, a happy couple came forward to be -married, an exceedingly clumsy dolt of a bridegroom and a fair bride, -not very young, that is to say, about fifty-five years old. There were -no bridesmaids or other perplexing appurtenances, and after the simple -ceremony the couple just walked away, amid the titters of a numerous -crowd of women. The bridegroom did not seem to know exactly what to do -next. He walked before his wife, then behind her, and then on one side, -but it did not somehow feel quite comfortable, so he assumed a sort of -diagonal position, and kept nudging her on till they disappeared in some -house. Altogether, I never saw a more unromantic commencement of married -life, but there was this redeeming point, that they were not bored by -that dread infliction--a marriage breakfast--the first meeting of two -jealous sets of new relations, who are all expected to be made friends -at once by eating when they are not hungry, and listening when there is -nothing to say. But, come, it is not proper for me to criticise these -mysteries, so let us go back to the inn. - -In the coffee-room a Frenchman, who had been in London, has just been -instructing two Mexicans, who are going there, as to hotels, and it is -excessively amusing to hear his description of the London "Caffy Hous," -and the hotels in "Lyces-ter-squar." "It is pronounced squar," he said, -"in England." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - Private concert--Thunderer--La Hardt Forest--Mulhouse - Canal--River Ill--Reading stories--Madame Nico--Night - noises--Pets--Ducking--Vosges--Admirers--Boat on wheels--New - wine. - - -Bâle is, in every sense, a turning-point on the Rhine. The course of the -river here bends abruptly from west to north, and the character of the -scenery beside it alters at once from high sloping banks to a widespread -network of streams, all entangled in countless islands, and yet ever -tending forward, northward, seaward through the great rich valley of the -Rhine with mountain chains reared on each side like two everlasting -barriers. - -Here then we could start anew almost in any direction, and I had not -settled yet what route to take, whether by the Saone and Doubs to paddle -to the Rhone, and so descend to Marseilles, and coast by the Cornici -road, and sell the boat at Genoa; or--and this second plan must be -surely a better alternative, if by it we can avoid a sale of the Rob -Roy--I could not part with her now--so let us at once decide to go back -through France. - -We were yet on the river slowly paddling when this decision was arrived -at, and the river carried me still, for I determined not to leave its -pleasant easy current for a slow canal, until the last possible -opportunity. A diligent study of new maps procured at Bâle, showed that -a canal ran northward nearly parallel to the Rhine, and approached very -near to the river at one particular spot, which indeed looked hard -enough to find even on the map, but was far more dubious when we got -into a maze of streamlets and little rivers circling among high osiers, -so thick and close that even on shore it was impossible to see a few -yards. - -But the line of tall poplars along the canal was visible now and then, -so I made a guesswork turn, and it was not far wrong, or at any rate we -got so near the canal that by winding about for a little in a pretty -limpid stream, I brought the Rob Roy at last within carrying distance. - -A song or two (without words) and a variation of the music by whistling -on the fingers would be sure to bring anybody out of the osiers who was -within reach of the outlandish concert, and so it proved, for a woman's -head soon peered over a break in the dense cover. She wished to help to -carry the boat herself, but the skipper's gallantry had scruples as to -this proposal, so she disappeared and soon fetched a man, and we bore -the canoe with some trouble through hedges and bushes, and over dykes -and ditches, and at last through deep grassy fields, till she was safely -placed on the canal. - -The man was delighted by a two-franc piece. He had been well paid for -listening to bad music. As for the boat she lay still and resigned, -awaiting my next move, and as for me I sighed to give a last look -backward, and to say with Byron-- - - "Adieu to thee, fair Rhine! How long delighted - The stranger fain would linger on his way! - Thine is a scene alike where souls united - Or lonely contemplation thus might stray; - And could the ceaseless vultures cease to prey - On self-condemning bosoms, it were here, - Where Nature, nor too sombre nor too gay, - Wild but not rude, awful yet not austere, - Is to the mellow earth as autumn to the year. - - Adieu to thee again! a vain adieu! - There can be no farewell to scene like thine; - The mind is colour'd by thy every hue; - And if reluctantly the eyes resign - Their cherish'd gaze upon thee, lovely Rhine! - 'Tis with the thankful glance of parting praise; - More mighty spots may rise, more glaring shine, - But none unite in one attaching maze - The brilliant, fair, and soft--the glories of old days. - - The negligently grand, the fruitful bloom - Of coming ripeness, the white city's sheen, - The rolling stream, the precipice's gloom, - The forest's growth, and gothic walls between, - The wild rocks shaped as they had turrets been - In mockery of man's art; and these withal - A race of faces happy as the scene, - Whose fertile bounties here extend to all, - Still springing o'er thy banks, though empires near them fall. - - But these recede. Above me are the Alps, - The palaces of nature, whose vast walls - Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps, - And throned eternity in icy halls - Of cold sublimity, where forms and falls - The avalanche--the thunderbolt of snow! - All that expands the spirit, yet appals, - Gather around these summits, as to show - How earth may pierce to heaven, yet leave vain man below." - - --_Childe Harold, Canto III._ - -To my surprise and satisfaction the canal had a decided current in it, -and in the right direction too. It is true that this current was only -about two miles an hour, but even that is something; and though the -little channel was hardly twelve feet wide, yet it was clear and deep, -and by no means stupid to travel on. - -After a few miles I came to a drawbridge, which rested within a foot of -the water. A man came to raise the bridge by machinery, and he was -surprised to see my way of passing it instead, that is, to shove my -boat under it, while I quietly walked over the top and got into the boat -at the other side. This was, without doubt, the first boat which had -traversed the canal without the bridge being raised, but I had passed -several very low bridges on the Danube, some of them not two inches -above the surface of the water. The very existence of these proves that -no boats pass there, and mine only passed by pulling it over the bridge -itself. It may be asked, how such a low bridge fares in flood times? and -the answer is, that the water simply flows all over it. In some cases -the planks which form the roadway are removed when the water rises, and -then the wayfaring man who comes to the river must manage in some other -mode. His bridge is removed at the very time when the high water makes -it most necessary. - -The bridge man was so intelligent in his remarks that we determined to -stop there and breakfast, so I left the canoe in his charge and found my -way to a little publichouse at the hamlet of Gros Kembs, and helped the -wizened old lady who ruled there to make me an omelette--my help, by the -bye, consisted in ordering, eating, and paying for the omelette, for the -rest she was sure to do well enough, as all French women can, and no -English ones. - -The village gossips soon arrived, and each person who saw the boat came -on to the inn to see the foreigner who could sail in such a _batteau_. - -The courteous and respectful behaviour of Continental people is so -uniform that the stranger among them is bound, I think, to amuse and -interest these folk in return. This was most easily done by showing all -my articles of luggage,[XXVIII.] and of course the drawings. A Testament -with gilt leaves was, however, the chief object of curiosity, and all -the _savants_ of the party tried in turn to read it. - - [XXVIII.] See an inventory of these in the Appendix. - -One of these as spokesman, and with commendable gravity, told me he had -read in their district newspaper about the canoe, but he little expected -to have the honour of meeting its owner. - -Fancy the local organ of such a place! Is it called the "News of the -Wold," or the "Gros Kembs Thunderer"? Well, whatever was the title of -the Gazette, it had an article about Pontius Pilate and my visit to the -Titisee in the Black Forest, and this it was no doubt which made these -canal people so very inquisitive on the occasion. - -The route now lay through the great forest of La Hardt, with dense -thickets on each side of the canal, and not a sound anywhere to be heard -but the hum now and then of a dragon fly. One or two woodmen met me as -they trudged silently home from work, but there was a lonely feeling -about the place without any of the romance of wild country. - -In the most brilliant day the scenery of a canal has at best but scant -liveliness, the whole thing is so prosaic and artificial, and in fact -stupid, if one can ever say that of any place where there is fresh air -and clear water, and blue sky and green trees. - -Still I had to push on, and sometimes, for a change, to tow the boat -while I walked. The difference between a glorious river encircling you -with lofty rocks and this canal with its earthen walls was something -like that between walking among high mountains and being shut up by -mistake in Bloomsbury-square. - -No birds chirped or sung, or even flew past, only the buzzing of flies -was mingled with the distant shriek of a train on the railway. It is -this railway which has killed the canal, for I saw no boats moving upon -it. The long continued want of rain had also reduced its powers of -accommodation for traffic, and the traffic is so little at the best that -it would not pay to buy water for the supply. For in times of drought -canal water is very expensive. It was said that the Regent's Canal, in -London, had to pay 5,000_l._ for what they required last summer, in -consequence of the dryness of the season. - -At length we came to a great fork of the canal in a wide basin, and I -went along the branch to the town of Mulhouse, a place of great wealth, -the largest French cotton town--the Manchester of France. - -The street boys here were very troublesome, partly because they were -intelligent, and therefore inquisitive, and partly because manufacturing -towns make little urchins precocious and forward in their manners. - -I hired a truck from a woman and hired a man to drag it, and so took the -boat to the best hotel, a fine large house, where they at once -recognized the canoe, and seemed to know all about it from report. - -The hotel porter delayed so long next morning to wheel the boat to the -railway, that when we took her into the luggage office as usual and -placed the boat on the counter with the trunks and band-boxes, the -officials declined to put it in the train. - -This was the first time it had been refused on a railroad, and I used -every kind of persuasion, but in vain, and this being the first -application of the kind on French soil we felt that difficulties were -ahead, if this precedent was to hold good. - -Subsequent experience showed that the French railways will not take a -canoe as baggage; while the other seven or eight countries we had -brought the boat through were all amenable to pressure on this point. - -We had desired to go by the railway only a few miles, but it would have -enabled me to avoid about fifty locks on the canal and thus have saved -two tedious days. As, however, they would not take the boat in a -passenger train we carried her back to the canal, and I determined to -face the locks boldly, and to regard them as an exercise of patience and -of the flexor muscles, as it happens sometimes one's walk is only "a -constitutional." - -The Superintendent of the Rhine and Rhone Canal was very civil, and -endeavoured to give me the desirable information I required, but which -he had not got, that is to say, the length, depth, and general character -of the several rivers we proposed to navigate in connexion with streams -less "canalizé," so I had to begin again as usual, without any knowledge -of the way. - -With rather an ill-tempered "adieu" to Mulhouse, the Rob Roy set off -again on its voyage. The water assumed quite a new aspect, now that one -_must_ go by it, but it was not so much the water as the locks which -were objectionable. For at each of these there is a certain form of -operations to be gone through--all very trifling and without variety, -yet requiring to be carefully performed, or you may have the boat -injured, or a ducking for yourself. - -When we get to a lock I have to draw to the bank, open my waterproof -covering, put my package and paddle ashore, then step out and haul the -boat out of the water. By this time two or three persons usually -congregate. I select the most likely one, and ask him to help in such a -persuasive but dignified manner that he feels it an honour to carry one -end of the boat while I take the other, and so we put her in again above -the barrier, and, if the man looks poor, I give him a few sous. At some -of the locks they asked me for a "carte de permission," or pass for -travelling on their canal, but I laughed the matter off, and when they -pressed it with a "mais monsieur," I kept treating the proposal as a -good joke, until the officials were fairly baffled and gave in. The fact -is, we had got into the canal as one gets over the hedge on to a public -road, and as I did not use any of the water in locks or any of the -lock-keepers' time, and the "pass" was a mere form, price 5_d._, it was -but reasonable to go unquestioned; and besides, this "carte" could not -be obtained except at the beginning. Having set off late, we went on -until about sunset, when the route suddenly passed into the river Ill, -a long dull stream, which flows through the Vosges into the Rhine. - -This stream was now quite stagnant, and a mere collection of pools -covered by thick scum. It was therefore a great comfort to have only a -short voyage upon it. - -When the Rob Roy again entered the canal, an acquaintance was formed -with a fine young lad, who was reading as he sauntered along. He was -reading of canoe adventures in America, and so I got him to walk some -miles beside me, and to help the boat over some locks, telling him he -could thus see how different actual canoeing was from the book stories -about it made up of romance! He was pining for some expansion of his -sphere, and specially for foreign travel, and above all to see England. - -We went to an _auberge_, where I ordered a bottle of wine, the cost of -which was twopence halfpenny. After he left, and as it was now dark, I -halted, put my boat in a lock-keeper's house, and made his son conduct -me to the little village of Illfurth, a most unsophisticated place -indeed, with a few vineyards on a hill behind it, though the railway has -a road station near. It was not easy to mistake which was the best house -here even in the dark, so I inquired of Madame at "The White Horse" if -she could give me a bed. "Not in a room for one alone; three others will -be sleeping in the same chamber." - -This she had answered after glancing at my puny package and travel-worn -dress, but her ideas about the guest were enlarged when she heard of how -he had come, and so she managed (they always do if you give time and -smiles and show sketches) to allot me a nice little room to myself, with -two beds of the hugest size, a water-jug of the most minute dimensions, -and sheets very coarse and very clean. Another omelette was consumed -while the customary visitors surrounded the benighted traveller; -carters, porters, all of them with courteous manners, and behaving so -well to me and to one another, and talking such good sense, as to make -me feel how different from this is the noisy taproom of a roadside -English "public." - -Presently two fine fellows of the Gendarmerie came in for their half -bottle of wine, at one penny, and as both of them had been in the Crimea -there was soon ample subject for most interesting conversation. This was -conducted in French, but the people here usually speak a patois utterly -impossible for one to comprehend. I found they were discussing me under -various conjectures, and they settled at last that I must be rather an -odd fish, but certainly "a gentleman," and probably "noble." They were -most surprised to hear I meant to stop all the next day at Illfurth, -simply because it was Sunday, but they did not fail to ask for my -passport, which until this had been carried all the way without a single -inquiry on the subject. - -The sudden change from a first-rate hotel this morning to the roadside -inn at Illfurth, was more entertaining on account of its variety than -for its agreeables; but in good health and good weather one can put up -with anything. - -The utter silence of peaceful and cool night in a place like this reigns -undisturbed until about four o'clock in early morn, when the first sound -is some matutinal cock, who crows first because he is proud of being -first awake. After he has asserted his priority thus once or twice, -another deeper toned rooster replies, and presently a dozen cocks are -all in full song, and in different keys. In half an hour you hear a -man's voice; next, some feminine voluble remarks; then a latch is moved -and clicks, the dog gives a morning bark, and a horse stamps his foot in -the stable because the flies have aroused to breakfast on his tender -skin. At length a pig grunts, his gastric juice is fairly awake, the day -is begun. And so the stream of life, thawed from its sleep, flows -gently on again, and at length the full tide of village business is soon -in agitation, with men's faces and women's quite as full of import as if -this French Stoke Pogis were the capital of the world. - -While the inmates prepare for early mass, and my bowl of coffee is set -before me, there are four dogs, eight cats, and seven canaries (I -counted them) all looking on, moving, twittering, mewing, each evidently -sensible that a being from some other land is present among them; and as -these little pets look with doubtful inquiring eyes on the stranger, -there is felt more strongly by him too, "Yes, I am in a foreign -country." - -On Sunday I had a quiet rest, and walk, and reading, and an Englishman, -who had come out for a day from Mulhouse to fish, dined in the pleasant -arbour of the inn with his family. One of his girls managed to fall into -a deep pond and was nearly drowned, but I heard her cries, and we soon -put her to rights. This Briton spoke with quite a foreign accent, having -been six years in France; but his Lancashire dialect reappeared in -conversation, and he said he had just been reading about the canoe in a -Manchester paper. His children had gone that morning to a Sunday-school -before they came out by railway to fish in the river here; but I could -not help contrasting their rude manners with the good behaviour of the -little "lady and gentleman" children of my host. One of these, -Philibert, was very intelligent, and spent an hour or two with me, so we -became great friends. He asked all kinds of questions about England and -America, far more than I was able to answer. I gave him a little book -with a picture in it, that he might read it to his father, for it -contained the remarkable conversation between Napoleon and his Marshal -at St. Helena concerning the Christian religion, a paper well worth -reading, whoever spoke the words. - -This Sunday being an annual village fête a band played, and some very -uncouth couples waltzed the whole day. Large flocks of sheep, following -their shepherds, wandered over the arid soil. The poor geese, too, were -flapping their wings in vain as they tried to swim in water an inch -deep, where usually there had been pleasant pools in the river. I -sympathized with the geese, for I missed my river sadly too. - -My bill here for the two nights, with plenty to eat and drink, amounted -to five shillings in all, and I left good Madame Nico with some regret, -starting again on the canal, which looked more dully and dirty than -before. - -After one or two locks this sort of travelling became so insufferable -that I suddenly determined to change my plans entirely--for is not one -free? By the present route several days would be consumed in going over -the hills by a series of tedious locks; besides, this very canal had -been already traversed by the four-oar boat Waterwitch some years ago. - -A few moments of thought, and I got on the bank to look for a way of -deliverance. Far off could be seen the vine-clad hills of the Vosges, -and I decided at once to leave the canal, cross the country to those -hills, cart the canoe over the range, and so reach the source of the -Moselle, and thus begin to paddle on quite another set of rivers. We -therefore turned the prow back, went down the canal, and again entered -the river Ill, but soon found it was now too shallow to float even my -canoe. Once more I retraced my way, ascending the locks, and, passing by -Illfurth, went on to reach a village where a cart could be had. -Desperation made me paddle hard even in the fierce sun, but it was not -that this so much troubled me as the humiliation of thus rowing back and -forward for miles on a dirty, stagnant canal, and passing by the same -locks two or three times, with the full conviction that the people who -gazed at the procedure must believe me not only to be mad (this much one -can put up with), but furiously insane, and dangerous to be at large. - -Whether we confess it or not we all like to be admired. The right or -wrong of this depends on for what and from whom we covet admiration. But -when the deed you attract attention by is neither a great one, nor a -deed which others have not done or cannot do, but is one that all other -people could but would not do, then you are not admired as remarkable -but only stared at as singular. - -The shade of a suspicion that this is so in any act done before -lookers-on is enough to make it hateful. Nay, you have then the -sufferings of a martyr, without his cause or his glory. But I fear that -instead of getting a cart for the canoe I am getting out of depth in -metaphysics, which means, you know, "When ane maun explains till anither -what he disna understaun himsel, that's metapheesics." - -Well, when we came to the prescribed village, named Haidwiller, we found -they had plenty of carts, but not one would come to help me even for a -good round sum. It was their first day with the grapes, and "ancient -customs must be observed"; so we went on still further to another -village, where they were letting out the water from the canal to repair -a lock. - -[Illustration: "The Rob Roy on wheels."] - -Here was a position of unenviable repose for the poor Rob Roy! No water -to float in, and no cart to carry her. - -To aid deliberation I attacked a large cake of hot flour baked by the -lock-keeper's dirty wife, and we stuck plums in it to make it go down, -while the man hied off to the fields to get some animal that could drag -a clumsy vehicle--cart is too fine a name for it--which I had impressed -from a ploughman near. - -The man came back leading a gloomy-looking bullock, and we started with -the boat now travelling on wheels, but at a most dignified pace.[XXIX.] - - [XXIX.] The sketch represents the lady cow which dragged the cart - at Lauffenburg, but it will do almost equally well for the present - equipage. - -This was the arrangement till we reached another village, which had no -vineyards, and where therefore we soon found a horse, instead of the -gruff bullock; while the natives were lost in amazement to see a boat in -a cart, and a big foreigner gabbling beside it. - -The sun was exceedingly hot, and the road dusty; but I felt the walk -would be a pleasant change, though my driver kept muttering to himself -about my preference of pedestrianism to the fearful jolts of his cart. - -We passed thus through several villages on a fine fruitful plain, and at -some of them the horse had to bait, or the driver to lunch, or his -employer to refresh the inner man, in every case the population being -favoured with an account by the driver of all he knew about the boat, -and a great deal more. - -At one of the inns on the road some new wine was produced on the table. -It had been made only the day before, and its colour was exactly like -that of cold tea, with milk and sugar in it, while its taste was very -luscious and sweet. This new wine is sometimes in request, but -especially among the women. "Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and -new wine the maids." (Zech. ix. 17.) - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - Bonfire--My wife--Matthews--Tunnel - picture--Imposture--Fancy--Moselle--Cocher--"Saturday Review" - Tracts--Gymnastics--The paddle--A spell--Overhead--Feminine - forum--Public breakfast. - - -As evening came on the little flag of the Rob Roy, which was always -hoisted, even in a cart, showed signs of animation, being now revived by -a fresh breeze from the beautiful Vosges mountains when we gradually -brought their outline more distinctly near. - -Then we had to cross the river Thur, but that was an easy matter in -these scorching days of drought. So the cavalcade went on till, the high -road being reached, we drove the cart into the pretty town of Thann. The -driver insisted on going to _his_ hotel, but when there I saw it could -not be the best in a town of this size (experience quickens perception -in these matters), and I simply took the reins, backed out of the yard, -and drove to a better one. - -Here the hotel-keeper had read of the Rob Roy, so it was received with -all the honours, and the best of his good things was at my disposal. In -the evening I burned some magnesium-wire signals to amuse the rustics, -who came in great crowds along the roads, drawing home their -bullock-carts, well loaded with large vats full of the new grapes, and -singing hoarsely as they waved aloft flowers and garlands and danced -around them,--the rude rejoicings for a bounteous vine harvest. It is -remarkable how soon the good singing of Germany is lost trace of when -you cross into France, though the language of the peasant here was -German enough. - -At night we went to see an experiment in putting out fires. A large -bonfire was lighted in the market-place, and the inventor of the new -apparatus came forward, carrying on his back a vessel full of water, -under the pressure of "six atmospheres" of carbonic acid gas. He -directed this on the fire from a small squirt at the end of a tube, and -it was certainly most successful in immediately extinguishing the -flames.[XXX.] This gentleman and other _savants_ of the town then visited -the boat, and the usual entertainment of the sketch-book closed a -pleasant day, which had begun with every appearance of being the -reverse. - - [XXX.] This invention, l'Extincteur, has since been exhibited in - London, and it seems to be a valuable one. - -Although this is a busy place, I found only one book-shop in it, and -that a very bad one. A priest and two nuns were making purchases there, -and I noticed that more images and pictures than printed books were kept -for sale. - -Next morning a new railroad enabled me to take the boat a little further -into the hills; but they fought hard to make her go separate, that is, -in a "merchandise" train, though I said the boat was "my wife," and -could not travel alone. At last they put their wise heads together, -filled up five separate printed forms, charged double fare, and the -whole thing cost me just ninepence. Verily, the French are still -overloaded with forms, and are still in the straitwaistcoat of -_système_. The railway winds among green hills, while here and there a -"fabrik," or factory, nestles in a valley, or illumines a hill-side at -night with its numerous windows all lighted up. These are the chief -depôts of that wonderful industry of taste which spreads the shawls and -scarfs of France before the eyes of an admiring world, for ladies to -covet, and for their husbands to buy. I was informed that the designs -for patterns here cost large sums, as if they were the oil paintings of -the first masters, and that three times as much is paid in France for -cutting one in wood as will be given by an English manufacturer. - -At Wesserling we managed to mount the Rob Roy on a spring vehicle, and -we set off gaily up the winding road that passes the watershed of the -Vosges mountains. I never had a more charming drive. For six hours we -were among woods, vineyards, bright rivulets, and rich pastures. Walking -up a hill, we overtook a carriage, and found one of the occupants was an -Englishman. But he had resided in France for more than twenty years, and -really I could scarcely understand his English. He spoke of "dis ting," -and "ve vill go," and frequently mingled French and German words with -his native tongue. In a newspaper article here we noticed after the name -"Matthews," the editor had considerately added, "pronounced, in English, -Massious." This is well enough for a Frenchman, but it certainly is -difficult to conceive how a man can fail in pronouncing our "th," if he -is a real live Englishman. When he found out my name, he grasped my -hand, and said how deeply interested he had been in a pamphlet written -by one of the same name.[XXXI.] - - [XXXI.] The Loss of the Kent East Indiaman by Fire in the Bay of - Biscay, by General Sir D. Macgregor, K.C.B. (Religious Tract Society, - Paternoster-row.) See a further note on this in the Appendix. - -The spring carriage had been chartered as an expensive luxury in this -cheap tour, that is to say, my boat and myself were to be carried about -thirty-five miles in a comfortable four-wheeled vehicle for twenty-six -francs--not very dear when you consider that it saved a whole day's time -to me and a whole day's jolting to the canoe, which seemed to enjoy its -soft bed on the top of the cushion, and to appreciate very well the -convenience of springs. After a good hard pull up a winding road we got -to the top of the pass of this "little Switzerland," as it is called, -and here was a tunnel on the very crest of the watershed. - -The arch of this dark tunnel made an excellent frame to a magnificent -picture; for before me was stretched out broad France. All streams at -our back went down to the all-absorbing Rhine, but those in front would -wend their various ways, some to the Mediterranean, others into the Bay -of Biscay, and the rest into the British Channel. - -A thousand peaks and wooded knolls were on this side and that, while a -dim panorama of five or six villages and sunny plains extended before -us. This was the chain of the Vosges mountains and their pleasant vales, -where many valorous men have been reared. The most noted crusaders came -from this district, and from here too the first of the two great -Napoleons drew the best soldiers of his army.[XXXII.] Most of the community -are Protestants. - - [XXXII.] The giant called "Anak," who has been exhibiting in London, - is from the Vosges mountains. - -High up on one side of us was a pilgrim station, where thousands of -people come year by year, and probably they get fine fresh air and -useful exercise. The French seem to walk farther for superstitious -purposes than for mere pedestrian amusement.[XXXIII.] - - [XXXIII.] Among other celebrated French "stations" there is the - mountain of La Salette, near Grenoble, where, even in one day, 16,000 - pilgrims have ascended to visit the spot where the Virgin Mary was said - to have spoken to some shepherds. On the occasion of my pilgrimage there - I met some donkeys with panniers bringing down holy water (in lemonade - bottles) which was sold throughout Europe for a shilling a bottle, until - a priest at the bottom of the mountain started a private pump of his - own. The woman who had been hired to personate the Holy Saint confessed - the deception, and it was exploded before the courts of law in a report - which I read on the spot; but the Roman Catholic papers, even in - England, published attractive articles to support this flagrant - imposture, and its truth and goodness were vehemently proclaimed in a - book by the Romish Bishop of Birmingham, with the assent of the Pope. - Methinks it is easier to march barefoot 100 miles over sharp stones than - to plod your honest walk of life on common pavement and with strong - soled boots. - -My English friend now got into my carriage, and we drove a little way -from the road to the village of Bussang to see the source of the -Moselle. - -This river rises under the "Ballon d'Alsace," a lofty mountain with a -rounded top, and the stream consists at first of four or five very tiny -trickling rivulets which unite and come forth in a little spring well -about the size of a washing-tub, from which the water flows across the -road in a channel that you can bridge with your fingers. - -But this bubbling brook had great interest for me, as I meant to follow -its growth until it would be strong enough to bear me on its cool, clear -water, now only like feathers strewed among the grass, and singing its -first music very pretty and low. - -We like to see the source of a great river; a romantic man must have -much piquant thought at the sight, and a poetic man must be stirred by -its sentiment. Every great thought must also have had a source or germ, -and it would be interesting to know how and when some of the grand ideas -that have afterwards aroused nations first thrilled in the brain of a -genius, a warrior, a philosopher, or a statesman. And besides having a -source, each stream of thought has a current too, with ripples and deep -pools, and scenery as it were around. Some thoughts are lofty, others -broad; some are straight, and others round about; some are rushing, -while others glide peacefully; only a few are clear and deep. - -But this is not the place to launch upon fancy's dreams, or even to -describe the real, pretty valleys around us in the Vosges. We go through -these merely to find water for the Rob Roy, and in this search we keep -descending every hour. - -When the bright stars came out they glittered below thick trees in pools -of the water now so quickly become a veritable river, and I scanned each -lagoon in the darkness to know if still it was too small for the boat. - -We came to the town of Remiremont and to a bad sort of inn, where all -was disorder and dirt. The driver sat down with me to a late supper and -behaved with true French politeness, which always shows better in -company than in private, or when real self-denial or firm friendship is -to be tested. So he ate of his five different courses, and had his wine, -fruit, and neat little etceteras, and my bill next day for our united -entertainment and lodging was just 3_s._ 4_d._ - -This _cocher_ was an intelligent man, and conversed on his own range of -subjects with considerable tact, and when our conversation was turned -upon the greater things of another world he said, "They must be happy -there, for none of them have ever come back"--a strange thought, oddly -phrased. As he became interested in the subject I gave him a paper upon -it, which he at once commenced to read aloud.[XXXIV.] - - [XXXIV.] Some days previously a stranger gave me a bundle of papers - to read, for which I thanked him much. Afterwards at leisure I examined - the packet, which consisted of about thirty large pages sewn together, - and comprising tracts upon politics, science, literature, and religion. - The last subject was prominent, and was dealt with in a style clever, - caustic, and censorious, which interested me much. These tracts were - printed in England and with good paper and type. They are a weekly - series, distributed everywhere at six shillings a dozen, and each page - is entitled "The Saturday Review." - -Next morning, the 20th of September, the Rob Roy was brought to the door -in a handcart, and was soon attended by its usual levee. - -As we had come into the town late at night the gazers were ignorant of -any claims this boat might have upon their respect, and some of them -derided the idea of its being able to float on the river here, or at any -rate to go more than a mile or two. - -But having previously taken a long walk before breakfast to examine the -Moselle, I was convinced it could be begun even here and in this dry -season. The porter was therefore directed to go forward, and the boat -moved towards the river amid plaudits rather ambiguous, until a curious -old gentleman, with green spectacles and a white hat, kindly brought the -sceptical mob to their senses by telling them he had read often about -the boat, and they must not make fun of it now. - -Then they all chopped round and changed their minds in a moment--the -fickle French--and they helped me with a will, and carried the Rob Roy -about a mile to the spot fixed upon for the start, which was speedily -executed, with a loud and warm "Adieu!" and "Bon voyage!" from all the -spectators. - -It was pleasant again to grasp the paddle and to find pure clear water -below, which I had not seen since the Danube, and to have a steady -current alongside that was so much missed on the sluggish river Ill and -the Basel Canal. - -Pretty water flowers quivered in the ripples round the mossy stones, and -park-like meadows sloped to the river with fruit trees heavy laden. -After half an hour of congratulation that we had come to the Moselle -rather than the Saone and the Doubs, I settled down to my day's work -with cheerfulness. - -The water of this river was very clear and cool, meandering through long -deep pools, and then over gurgling shallows; and the fish, waterfowl, -woods, and lovely green fields were a most welcome change from the canal -we had left. The sun was intensely hot, but the spare "jib," as a shawl -on my shoulders, defied its fierce rays, and so I glided along in -solitary enjoyment. The numerous shallows required much activity with -the paddle, and my boat got more bumped and thumped to-day than in any -other seven days of the tour. Of course I had often to get out and to -tow her through the water; sometimes through the fields, or over rocks, -but this was easily done with canvas shoes on, and flannel trousers that -are made for constant ducking. - -The aspect of the river was rather of a singular character for some -miles, with low banks sloping backwards, and richly carpeted with grass, -so that the view on either side was ample; while in front was a spacious -picture of successive levels, seen to great advantage as the Rob Roy -glided smoothly on crystal waters lipped with green. Again the playful -river descends by sudden leaps and deep falls, chiefly artificial, and -some trouble is caused in getting down each of these, for the boat had -to be lowered by hand, with a good deal of gymnastic exercise among the -slippery rocks; the mosses and lichens were studied in anything but -botanical order. - -At this period of the voyage the paddle felt so natural in my hands from -long use of it every day, that it was held unconsciously. In the -beginning of my practice I had invented various tethers and ties to -secure this all-important piece of furniture from being lost if it -should fall overboard, and I had practised what ought to be done if the -paddle should ever be beaten out of my hand by a wave, or dropped into -the water in a moment of carelessness. - -But none of these plans were satisfactory in actual service. The strings -got entangled when I jumped out suddenly, or I forgot the thing was tied -when it had to be thrown out on the shore, so it was better to have the -paddle perfectly loose; and thus free, it never was dropped or lost hold -of even in those times of difficulty or confusion which made twenty -things to be done, and each to be done first, when an upset was -imminent, and a jump out had to be managed instead.[XXXV.] - - [XXXV.] The bamboo mast was meant originally to serve also as a - boat-hook or hitcher, and had a ferrule and a fishing gaff neatly - fastened on the end, which fitted also into the mast step. I recollect - having used the boat-hook once at Gravesend, but it was instantly seen - to be a mistake. You don't want a boat-hook when your canoe can come - close alongside where it is deep, and will ground when it is shallow. - Besides, to use a boat-hook you must drop the paddle. - -The movement of the paddle, then, got to be almost involuntary, just as -the legs are moved in walking, and the ordinary difficulties of a river -seemed to be understood by the mind without special observation, and to -be dealt with naturally, without hesitation or reasoning as to what -ought to be done. This faculty increased until long gazes upwards to -the higher grounds or to the clouds were fully indulged without -apparently interrupting the steady and proper navigation of the boat, -even when it was moving with speed. On one of these occasions I had got -into a train of thought on this subject, and was regretting that the -course of the stream made me turn my back on the best scenery. I had -spun round two or three times to feast my eyes once more and again upon -some glowing peaks, lit up by the setting sun, until a sort of -fascination seized the mind, and a quiet lethargy crept over the system; -and, moreover, a most illogical persuasion then settled that the boat -always _did_ go right, and that one need not be so much on the alert to -steer well. This still held me as we came into a cluster of about a -dozen rocks all dotted about, and with the stream welling over this one -and rushing over that, and yet I was spellbound and doggedly did nothing -to guide the boat's course. - -But the water was avenged on this foolish defiance of its power, for in -a moment I was driven straight on a great rock, only two inches below -the surface, and the boat at once swung round, broadside on to the -current, and then slowly but determinedly began to turn over. As it -canted more and more my lax muscles were rudely aroused to action, for -the plain fact stared out baldly that I was about to get a regular -ducking, and all from a stupid, lazy fit. - -The worst of it was I was not sitting erect, but stretched almost at -full length in the boat, and one leg was entangled inside by the strap -of my bag. In the moments following (that seem minutes in such a case) a -gush of thoughts went through the mind while the poor little boat was -still turning over, until at last I gave a spring from my awkward -position to jump into the water. - -The jerk released the canoe from the rock, but only the head and arms of -its captain fell into the river--though in a most undignified _pose_, -which was soon laughed off, when my seat was recovered, with a wet head -and dripping sleeves! - -However, this little _faux pas_ quite wakened and sobered me, and I -looked in half shame to the bank to see if any person had witnessed the -absurd performance. And it was well to have done with sentiment and -reveries, for the river had now got quite in earnest about going along. - -Permit me again to invite attention to the washerwomen on the river; for -this institution, which one does not find thus floating on our streams -in England, becomes a very frequent object of interest if you canoe it -on the Continent. - -[Illustration: "Washing Barge."] - -As the well in Eastern countries is the recognised place for gossiping, -and in colder climes a good deal of politics is settled in the barber's -shop, so here in fluvial districts the washing barge is the forum of -feminine eloquence. - -The respectability of a town as you approach it is shadowed forth by the -size and ornaments of the _blanchisseuses'_ float; and as there are -often fifty faces seen at once, the type of female loveliness may be -studied for a district at a time. While they wash they talk, and while -they talk they thump and belabour the clothes; but there is always some -idle eye wandering which speedily will catch sight of the Rob Roy canoe. - -In smaller villages, and where there is no barge for them to use, the -women have to do without one, and kneel on the ground, so that even in -far-off parts of the river we shall find them there. - -A flat sounding whack! whack! tells me that round the corner we shall -come upon at least a couple of washerwomen, homely dames, with brown -faces and tall caps, who are wringing, slapping, and scrubbing the -"linge." Though this may encourage the French cotton trade, I rejoice -that my own shirts are of strong woollen stuff, which defies their -buffeting. - -I always fraternized with these ladies, doffing my hat, and drawing back -my left foot for a bow (though the graceful action is not observed under -the macintosh). Other travellers, also, may find there is something to -be seen and heard if they pass five minutes at the washing-barge. But -even if it were not instructive and amusing thus to study character when -a whole group is met with at once, surely it is to be remembered that -the pleasure of seeing a new sight and of hearing a foreigner speak -cheerful and kind words, is to many of these hard-working, honest -mothers a bright interlude in a life of toil. To give pleasure is one of -the best pleasures of a tourist; and it is in acting thus, too, that -the lone traveller feels no loneliness, while he pleases and is pleased. -Two Englishmen may travel together agreeably among foreigners for a week -without learning so much of the life, and mind, and manners of the -people as would be learned in one day if each of the tourists went -alone, provided he was not too shy or too proud to open his eyes, and -ears, and mouth among strangers, and had sense enough to be an exception -to the rule that "Every Englishman is an island." - -Merely for a change, I ran the Rob Roy into a long millrace in search of -breakfast. This stream having secured hold of the boat stealthily ran -away with us in a winding course among the hayfields, and quite out of -reach of the river, until it seemed that after all we were only in a -streamlet for irrigation, which would vanish into rills an inch deep in -a water meadow. However, I put a bold face on it, and gravely and -swiftly sped through the fields, and bestowed a nod now and then on the -rural gazers. A fine boy of twelve years old soon trotted alongside, and -I asked him if he was an honest lad, which he answered by a blush, and -"Yes." "Here is a franc, then. Go and buy me bread and wine, and meet me -at the mill." A few of the "hands" soon found out the canoe, moored, as -it was thought, in quiet retirement, with its captain resting under a -tree, and presently a whole crowd of them swarmed out, and shouted with -delight as they pressed round to see. - -The boy brought a very large bottle of wine, and a loaf big enough to -dine four men; and I set to work with an oarsman's appetite, and that -happy _sang froid_ which no multitude of gazers now could disturb. - -However, one of the party invited me into her house, and soon set -delicate viands before the new guest, while the others filled the room -in an instant, and were replaced by sets of fifty at a time, all very -good-humoured and respectful. - -But it was so hot and bustling here that I resolved to go away and have -a more pleasant and sulky meal by myself on some inaccessible island. -The retreat through the crowd had to be regularly prepared for by -military tactics; so I appointed four of the most troublesome boys as -"policemen" to guard the boat in its transit across the fields, but they -discharged their new duties with such vigour that two little fellows -were soon knocked over into the canoe, and so we launched off, while the -Manager of the factory called in vain to his cottonspinners, who were -all now in full cry after the boat, and were making holiday without -leave. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - River Moselle--Epinal--The Tramp--Halcyon--Painted - woman--Beating to quarters--Boat in a hedge--The - Meurthe--Moving House--Tears of a mother--Five francs. - - -Under a dark arbour-like arch of foliage, where the water was deep and -still, I made fast to the long grass, cast my tired limbs into the -fantastic folds of ease, and, while the bottle lasted and the bread, I -watched the bees and butterflies, and the beetles and rats, and the -coloured tribes of airy and watery life that one can see so well in a -quiet half hour like this. - -How little we are taught at school about these wondrous communities of -real life, each with its laws and instincts, its beauties of form, and -marvellous ingenuities! - -How little of flowers and insects, not to say of trees and animals, a -boy learns as school-lessons, while he has beaten into him at one end -and crammed in at the other the complicated politics of heathen gods, -and their loves and faction fights, which are neither real nor possible. - -The Moselle rapidly enlarged in volume, though one could easily see -that it had seldom been so low before. It is a very beautiful river to -row on, especially where we began. Then it winds to the west and north, -and again, turning a little eastwards, traverses a lovely country -between Treves and Coblentz, where it joins the ancient Rhine. - -My resting-place for this evening was Epinal, a town with little to -interest; and so we could turn to books and pencils until it was time -for bed. - -Next day the scenery was by no means so attractive, but I had plenty of -hard work, which was enjoyed very much, my shoes and socks being off all -day, for it was useless to put them on when so many occasions required -me to jump out. - -Here it was a plain country, with a gravel soil, and fast rushings of -current; and then long pools like the Serpentine, and winding turns -leading entirely round some central hill which the river insisted upon -circumventing. - -At noon we came upon a large number of labourers at work on a milldam, -and as this sort of crowd generally betokens something to eat (always, -at any rate, some drinkable fluid), I left my boat boldly in mid-stream, -and knocked at a cottage, when an old woman came out. "Madame, I am -hungry, and you are precisely the lady who can make me an omelette." - -"Sir, I have nothing to give you." - -"Why," said I, "look at these hens; I am sure they have laid six eggs -this morning, they seem so conceited." - -She evidently thought I was a tramp demanding alms, and when told to -look at the boat which had come from England, she said she was too old -and too blind to see. However, we managed to make an omelette together, -and she stood by (with an eye, perhaps, to her only fork) and chatted -pleasantly, asking, "What have you got to sell?" I told her I had come -there only for pleasure. "What sort of pleasure, Monsieur, can you -possibly hope to find in _this_ place?" But I was far too gallant to say -bluntly that her particular mansion was not the ultimate object of the -tour. After receiving a franc for the rough breakfast, she kept up a -battery of blessings till the Rob Roy started, and she ended by -shrieking out to a navvy looking on, "I tell you every Englishman is -rich!" - -Next day was bright and blue-skyed as before, and an early start got the -fine fresh morning air on the water. - -The name of this river is sometimes pronounced "Moselle," and at other -times "Mosel," what we should call "Mozle." When a Frenchman speaks of -"la Moselle," he puts an equal emphasis on each of the three syllables -he is pronouncing; whereas generally we Englishmen call this river -Mosélle. - -The name of a long river often indeed goes through changes as it -traverses various districts and dialects; for instance, the Missouri, -which you hear the travellers in Kansas call "Mzoory," while they wend -along the Californian road. - -When the scenery is tame to the canoist, and the channel of the river is -not made interesting by dangers to be avoided, then one can always turn -again to the animals and birds, and five minutes of watching will be -sure to see much that is curious. - -Here, for instance, we have the little kingfisher again, who had met us -on the Danube and the Reuss, and whom we knew well in England before; -but now we are on a visit to _his_ domain, and we see him in his private -character alone. There are several varieties of this bird, and they -differ in form and colour of plumage. This "Royal bird," the _Halcyon_ -of antiquity, the _Alcedo_ in classic tongue, is called in German "Eis -fogl," or "Ice bird," perhaps because he fishes even in winter's frost, -or because his nest is like a bundle of icicles, being made of minnows' -bones most curiously wrought together. - -But now it is on a summer day, and he is perched on a twig within two -inches of the water, and under the shade of a briar leaf, his little -parasol. He is looking for fish, and is so steady that you may easily -pass him without observing that brilliant back of azure, or the breast -of blushing red. - -When I desired to see these birds, I quietly moved my boat till it -grounded on a bank, and, after it was stationary thus for a few minutes, -the Halcyon fisher got quite unconcerned, and plied his task as if -unseen. - -He peers with knowing eye into the shallow below him, and now and then -he dips his head a bit to make quite sure he has marked a fish worth -seizing; then suddenly he darts down with a spluttering splash, and -flies off with a little white minnow, or a struggling sticklebat nipped -in his beak. - -If it is caught thus crosswise, the winged fisherman tosses his prey -into the air, and nimbly catches it in his mouth, so that it may be -gulped down properly. Then he quivers and shakes with satisfaction, and -quickly speeds to another perch, flitting by you with wonderful -swiftness, as if a sapphire had been flung athwart the sunbeam, flashing -beauteous colours in its flight. - -Or, if bed-time has come, or he is fetching home the family dinner, he -flutters on and on, and then with a little sharp note of "good-bye," -pops into a hole, the dark staircase to his tiny nest, and there he -finds Mrs. Halcyon sitting in state, and thirteen baby Kingfishers -gaping for the dainty fish. - -This pretty bird has an air of quiet mystery, beauty, and vivid motion, -all combined, which has made him a favourite with the Rob Roy. - -Strangely enough, the river in this part of its course actually gets -less and less as you descend it. Every few miles some of the water is -drawn off by a small canal to irrigate the neighbouring land, and in a -season of drought like this, very little of the abstracted part returns. -They told me that the Moselle river never has been so "basse" for 30 -years, and I was therefore an unlucky _voyageur_ in having to do for the -first time what could have been done more easily in any other season. - -As evening fell we reached the town of Chatel, and the Rob Roy was sent -to bed in the washhouse of the hotel. But five minutes had not elapsed -before a string of visitors came for the daily inspection of the boat. - -As I sauntered along the bridge a sprightly youth came up, who had not -seen the canoe, but who knew I was "one of her crew." He was most -enthusiastic on the subject, and took me to see _his_ boat, a -deadly-looking flat-bottomed open cot, painted all manner of patterns; -and as he was extremely proud of her I did not tell him that a boat is -like a woman, too good to paint: a pretty one is spoiled by paint, and a -plain one is made hideous. - -Then he came for a look at the Rob Roy, and, poor fellow, it was amusing -to observe how instantly his countenance fell from pride to intense -envy. He had a "boating mind," but had never seen a really pretty boat -till now. However, to console himself he invited me to another hotel to -drink success to the canoe in Bavarian beer, and to see my drawings, and -then I found that my intelligent, eager, and, we may add, gentlemanly -friend was the waiter there! - -A melancholy sensation pervaded the Rob Roy to-day, in consequence of a -sad event, the loss of the captain's knife. We had three knives on board -in starting from England; one had been given away in reward for some -signal service, and this which was now lost was one with a metal haft -and a curious hook at the end, a special description made in Berlin, and -very useful to the tourist. It is not to be wondered that in so many -leaps and somersaults, and with such constant requirements for the knife -to mend pencils, &c., &c., the trusty blade should at last have -disappeared, but the event suggests to the next canoeman that his -boat-knife should be secured to a lanyard. - -One singular conformation of the river-bed occurred in my short tour -upon this part of the Moselle. Without much warning the banks of rock -became quite vertical and narrowed close together. They reminded me of -the rock-cutting near Liverpool, on the old railway to Manchester. The -stream was very deep here, but its bed was full of enormous stones and -crags, very sharp and jagged, which, however, could be easily avoided, -because the current was gentle. - -A man I found fishing told me that a little further on there was an -"impossible" place, so when after half a mile the well-known sound of -rushing waters came (the ear got marvellous quick for this), we beat to -quarters and prepared for action. - -The ribbon to keep my hat was tied down. Sleeves and trousers were -tucked up. The covering was braced tight and the baggage secured below; -and then came the eager pleasures of anticipating, wishing, hoping, -fearing, that are mixed up in the word excitement. - -The sound was quite near now, but the river took the strangest of all -the forms I had yet seen. - -If you suppose a trench cut along Oxford-street to get at the -gas-pipes, and if all the water of a river which had filled the street -before suddenly disappeared in the trench, that would be exactly what -the Moselle had now become. - -The plateau of rock on each side was perfectly dry, though in flood -times, no doubt, the river covers that too. The water boiled and foamed -through this channel from 3 to 20 feet deep, but only in the trench, -which was not five feet wide. - -An intelligent man came near to see me enter this curious passage, but -when we had got a little way in I had to stop the boat, and this too by -putting my hands on both sides of the river! - -Then I got out and carefully let the boat drive along the current, but -still held by the painter. Soon it got too narrow and fast even for this -process, so I pulled the canoe upon the dry rock, and sat down to -breathe and to cool my panting frame. - -Two other gentlemen had come near me by this time, and on a bridge above -were several more with two ladies. - -I had to drag the boat some hundred yards over most awkward rocks, and -these men hovered round and admired, and even talked to me, and actually -praised my perseverance, yet not one offer of any help did any one of -them give! - -In deep water again, and now exactly under the bridge I looked up and -found the whole party regarding the Rob Roy with curiosity and smiles. -Within a few yards was a large house these people had come from, and I -thought their smiles were surely to preface, "Would you not like a glass -of wine, Sir, after your hour of hard work?" But as it meant nothing of -the sort I could not help answering their united adieux! by these words, -"Adieu, ladies and gentlemen. Many to look, but none to help. The -exhibition is gratuitous!" Was it wrong to say this? It was utterly -impossible not to think as much. - -One or two other places gave trouble without interest, such as when I -had to push the boat into a hedge point foremost, and to pull it through -by main force from the other side, and then found, after all, it was -pushed into the wrong field, so the operation had to be done over again -in a reverse direction. - -But never mind, all this counted in the day's work, and all the trouble -of it was forgotten after a good night's sleep, or was entirely -recompensed by some interesting adventure. - -The water of the Moselle is so clear that the scenery under the surface -continually occupied my attention. In one long reach, unusually deep and -quiet, I happened to be gazing down at some huge trout, and -accidentally observed a large stone, the upper part of a fine column, at -the very bottom of the water, at least ten feet below me. The capital -showed it to be Ionic, and near it was another, a broken pediment of -large dimensions, and a little further on a pedestal of white marble. I -carefully examined both banks, to see if a Roman villa or bridge, or -other ruin, indicated how these subaqueous reliques had come into this -strange position, and I inquired diligently at Charmes, the next town; -but although much curiosity was shown on the subject, no information was -obtained, except that the Romans had built a fort somewhere on the river -(but plainly not at that spot), so we may consider that the casual -glance at the fish revealed a curious fragment of the past hitherto -probably unnoticed. - -After pulling along the Moselle, from as near to its source as my canoe -could find water, until the scenery became dull at Charmes, we went by -railway from thence to Blainville, on the river Meurthe, which is a -tributary of the Moselle, for I thought some new scenery might be found -in this direction. The Rob Roy was therefore sent by itself in a -goods-train, the very first separation between us for three months. It -seemed as if the little boat, leaning on its side in the truck, turned -from me reproachfully, and we foreboded all sorts of accidents to its -delicate frame, but the only thing lost was a sponge, a necessary -appendage to a boat's outfit when you desire to keep it perfectly dry -and clean. - -Two railway porters, with much good-humoured laughing, carried the Rob -Roy from the station to the river's edge, and again we paddled cheerily -along, and on a new river, too, with scenery and character quite -different from that of the Moselle. - -The Meurthe winds through rich plains of soft earth, with few rocks and -little gravel. But then in its shallows it has long thick mossy weeds, -all under the surface. These were found to be rather troublesome, -because they got entangled with my paddle, and since they could not be -seen beforehand the best channel was not discernible, as where rocks or -gravel give those various forms of ripples which the captain of a canoe -soon gets to know as if they were a chart telling the number of inches -of depth. Moreover, when you get grounded among these long weeds, all -pointed down stream, it is very difficult to "back out," for it is like -combing hair against the grain. - -The larger rivers in France are all thoroughly fished. In every nook you -find a fisherman. They are just as numerous here as in Germany they are -rare. And yet one would think that fishing is surely more adapted to the -contemplative German than to the vivacious French. Yet, here they are -by hundreds, both men and women, and every day, each staring intently on -a tiny float, or at the grasshopper bait, and quite satisfied if now and -then he can pull up a gudgeon the size of your thumb. - -[Illustration: "French Fishers."] - -Generally, these people are alone, and when they asked me at hotels if I -did not feel lonely in the canoe, the answer was, "Look at your -fishermen, for hours by choice alone. They have something to occupy -attention every moment, and so have I." Sometimes, however, there is a -whole party in one clumsy boat. - -The _pater familias_ sits content, and recks not if all his time is -spent in baiting his line and lighting his pipe. The lazy "hopeful" lies -at full length on the grass, while a younger brother strains every nerve -to hook a knowing fish that is laughing at him under water, and winking -its pale eye to see the fisher just toppling over. Mademoiselle chatters -whether there are bites or not, and another, the fair cousin, has got on -shore, where she can bait her hook and set her cap and simper to the -bold admirer by her side. - -Not one of these that I have spoken to had ever seen an artificial fly. - -Then besides, we have the fishers with nets. These are generally three -men in a boat, with its stem and its stern both cocked up, and the whole -affair looking as if it must upset or sink. Such boats were painted by -Raphael in the great Cartoons, where all of us must have observed how -small the boat is compared with the men it carries. - -Again, there are some young lads searching under the stones for -_ecrevisses_, the freshwater prawns, much in request, but giving very -little food for a great deal of trouble. Near these fishers the pike -plies his busy sportsman's life below the surface, and I have sometimes -seen a poor little trout leap high into the air to escape from the -long-nosed pursuer, who followed him even out of the water, and snapped -his jaws on the sweet morsel impudently. This sound, added to the very -suspicious appearance of the Rob Roy gliding among the islands, decides -the doubtful point with a duck, the leader of a flock of wild ducks that -have been swimming down stream in front of me with a quick glance on -each side, every one of them seemingly indignant at this intrusion on -their haunts; at last they find it really will not do, so with a scream -and a spring they flap the water and rise in a body to seek if there be -not elsewhere at least some one nook to nestle in where John Bull does -not come. - -That bell you hear tinkling is at the ferry, to call the ferryman who -lives at the other side, and he will jump into his clumsy boat, which is -tied to a pulley running on a rope stretched tight across the river. He -has only to put his oar obliquely on the gunwale, and the transverse -pressure of the current brings the boat rapidly to the other bank. - -Paddling on, after a chat with the ferryman (and he is sure to be ready -for that), a wonderful phenomenon appears. We see a house, large, new, -and of two stories high, it has actually moved. We noticed it a few -minutes ago, and now it has changed its position. I gaze in -astonishment, and while we ponder, lo! the whole house entirely -disappears. Now, the true explanation of this is soon found when we get -round the next corner of the reach;--the house is a great wooden bathing -"etablissement," built on a barge, and it is being slowly dragged up the -stream. - -After wonder comes sentiment. Three women are seen on the river-bank -evidently in great alarm: a mother, a daughter, and a servant maid, who -searched in vain for two boys, supposed to have gone away to fish, but -now missing for many hours. They eagerly inquired if I had seen the -lads, and implored me with tears to give them advice. - -I tried all I could to recollect, but no! I had not seen the boys, and -so the women went away distracted, and left me sorrowful--who would not -be so at a woman's tears, a mother's too? But suddenly, when toiling in -the middle of a very difficult piece of rock-work, lowering the boat, I -remembered having seen those boys, so I ran over the fields after the -anxious mamma and soon assured her the children had been safe an hour -ago, and their faithful servant with them, but that _he_ had become the -fisherman, and they, like boys, had got tired of the rod, and were -playing with a goat. - -When the poor mother heard we had seen the little fellows and they were -safe, her tears of joy were quite affecting, and they vividly recalled -one's schoolboy days, when the thoughtless playtime of childhood so -often entails anxiety on a loving mother's heart. - -Such, then, are the river sights and river wonders, ever new, though -trifling perhaps when told, but far more lively and entertaining than -the common incidents of a dusty road, or a whirring, shrieking train. - -With a few wadings and bumpings, and one or two "vannes," or weirs, we -slipped along pleasantly until evening came. Still it was only a slow -stream, and the towers of St. Nicholas, long visible on the horizon, -seemed ever to move from side to side without being any nearer, so much -does this river wind in its course. I paddled at my best pace, but the -evening rapidly grew darker, until we overtook two French youths in a -boat, the first occasion on which we had noticed Frenchmen rowing for -exercise. They could not keep up with the canoe, so we had to leave them -ingloriously aground on a bank, and yet too lazy to get out and help -their boat over the difficulty. - -Soon after I came to a great weir about fifteen feet in height, the -deepest we had yet encountered, and half a sigh was heaved when it was -evident that there was no escape from all the bother of getting out and -gymnasticizing here after a long day's work. It was a matter of some -time and trouble to get the boat over this weir in the dark; but what -was far worse immediately followed, as I found myself in a maze of -shallows, without light to see how to get through them. Whenever we -stopped, too, for rest, there was only darkness, silence, and no -motion--not even the excitement of a current to arouse. Finally, I had -to wade and haul the boat along, and jump in and ferry myself over the -pools, for nearly half a mile, until at length the "look-out" man of our -starboard watch shouted, "A bridge and a house on the lee bow!" and a -joyous cheer burst forth from the crew. - -All this, which may be told in a few sentences, took a full hour of very -tiresome work, though, as there was no current, there was no danger, and -it was merely tedious, wet, unlighted, and uncomfortable. Nevertheless I -sang and whistled all the time. - -When the bridge was arrived at, I was sure it must be a town, and then -there happened a scene almost an exact counterpart of that which took -place at Gegglingen, on the Danube. - -I pulled up my boat on the dark shore, and, all dripping wet, I mounted -to the house above, and speedily aroused the inmates. A window opened, -and a worthy couple appeared in their night-dresses, holding a candle to -examine the intruder. The tableau was most comical. The man asked, "Is -it a farce?" He could scarcely expect a traveller from England to arrive -there at such an hour. But he soon helped me to carry the boat to a -little Restaurant, where a dozen men were drinking, who rushed out with -lamps to look at the boat, but entirely omitted to help the forlorn -captain. - -Nor was there any room in this Restaurant, so we had to carry the boat -through the dark streets to another house, where another lot of topers -received me in like style. We put the Rob Roy into a garden here, and -her sails flapped next morning while a crowd gazed over the walls with -anxious curiosity. The worthy husband who had thus left his spouse that -he might carry my wet boat, all slippery with mud, was highly pleased -with a five-franc piece, which was the least I thought him to deserve, -though it was like a five-pound note to him in such a cheap country. - -Next morning in the light of day we had a survey of the scene of last -night's adventure. It was very amusing to trace the various channels we -had groped about in the darkness. - -Here I met a French gentleman, of gay and pleasant manner, but who -bemoaned his lot as Secretary of a great factory in this outlandish -place, instead of being in joyous, thoughtless, brilliant Paris, where, -he said, often for days together he did not sleep in bed, but ran one -night into the next by balls, theatres, and supper parties. - -He kindly took me to see the great salt works, that send refined salt -all over Europe. This rock salt is hoisted out of a deep mine, in blocks -like those of coal, having been hewn from the strata below, which are -pierced by long and lofty galleries. Then it is covered in tanks by -water, which becomes saturated, and is conducted to flat evaporating -pans, when the water is expelled by the heat of great furnaces, and the -salt appears in masses like snow-drift. Salt that is sold by weight they -judiciously wet again, and other qualities sold by measure they cleverly -deposit in crooked crystals, so as to take up as much space as possible! - -We found a canal here, and as the river was so shallow I mounted to the -artificial channel, and with a strong and fair wind was soon sailing -along rapidly. This canal has plenty of traffic upon it, and only a few -locks; so it was by no means tedious. They asked for my card of -permission, but I smiled the matter off as before. However, an officer -of the canal who was walking alongside looked much more seriously at the -infringement of rules, and when we came to a lock he insisted we must -produce the "carte." As a last resort, I showed him the well-worn -sketch-book, and then he at once gave in. In fact, after he had laughed -at the culprit's caricatures, how could he gravely sentence him to -penalties? - -It is wonderful how a few lines of drawing will please these outlying -country people. Sometimes we gave a small sketch to a man when it was -desirable to get rid of him: he was sure to take it away to show -outside, and when he returned I had departed. Once we gave a little girl -a portrait of her brother, and next morning she brought it again all -crumpled up. Her mother said the child had held it all night in her -hand. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - Ladies in muslin--Officers shouting--Volunteers' - umbrella--Reims--Leaks--Wet--Madame Clicquot--Heavy - blow--Dinner talk--The Elephant--Cloud. - - -The canal brought me to Nancy, a fine old town, with an archbishop, a -field-marshal, a good hotel, large washhand basins, drums, bugles, ices, -and all the other luxuries of life. In the cathedral there was more -tawdry show about the Mass than I ever remarked before, even in Italy. -At least thirty celebrants acted in the performance, and the bowings and -turnings and grimaces of sedate old men clad in gorgeous, dirty -needlework, fumbling with trifles and muttering Latin, really passed all -bounds: they were an insult to the population, who are required to -attend this vicarious worship, and to accept such absurdities as the -true interpretation of "This do in remembrance of Me." - -A large and attentive congregation, nearly all women, listened first to -an eloquent sermon from a young priest who glorified an old saint. It is -possible that the ancient worthy was a most respectable monk, but -probably he was, when he lived, a good deal like the monks one meets in -the monasteries, and now that I have lived pretty frequently with these -gentlemen I must say it makes one smile to think of canonizing such -people, as if any one of them had unapproachable excellence; but perhaps -this monk distinguished himself by proper daily ablutions, and so earned -the rare reputation of being reasonably clean. - -In the afternoon the relics of the monk were borne through the streets -by a procession of some thousand women and a few men. These ladies, some -hundreds of whom were dressed in white muslin, and in two single ranks, -chanted as they slowly marched, and all the bystanders took off their -hats, but I really could not see what adoration was due to the -mouldering bones of a withered friar, so my excellent straw hat was kept -on my head. - -But the French, who live in public, must have a public religion, a -gregarious worship, with demonstrative action and colours and sounds. -Deep devotion, silent in its depth, is for the north and not for this -radiant sun, though you will find that quiet worship again in lower -latitudes where the very heat precludes activity. - -Some twenty years ago, one of the ablest men of the University of -Cambridge read a paper on the influence which the insular position and -the climate of Britain has upon our national character, and it appeared -to be proved clearly that this influence pervades every feature of our -life. - -In a third-rate French town like Nancy, nearly all the pleasant -_agrements_ depend on the climate, and would be sadly curtailed by rain -or snow. So, again, when a Frenchman visits England and gets laughed at -for mistakes in our difficult language, and has to eat only two dishes -for dinner, and drinks bad coffee, and has no evening lounge in the open -air, and is then told to look at our domestic life, and finds he cannot -get an entrance there (for how very few French do enter there), his -miseries are directly caused by our climate, and no wonder his -impression of Albion is that we are all fog and cotton and smoke, and -everything _triste_. - -From Nancy we sent the canoe by rail to meet me on the river Marne, and -while the slow luggage-train lumbered along I took the opportunity of -visiting the celebrated Camp of Châlons, the Aldershot of France. An -omnibus takes you from the railway station, and you soon enter a long -straggling street of very little houses, built badly, and looking as if -one and all could be pushed down by your hand. These are not the -military quarters, but the self-grown parasite sutlers' town, which -springs up near every camp. Here is "Place Solferino," and there "Rue -Malakhoff," where the sign of the inn is a Chinaman having his pigtail -lopped off by a Français. The camp is in the middle of a very large -plain, with plenty of dust and white earth, which "glared" on my eyes -intensely, this being the hottest day I have experienced during the -vacation. But there are trees for shade, and a good deal of grass on -these extensive downs where great armies can manoeuvre and march past -the Emperor as he sits enthroned under a bower on that hill-crest -overlooking all. - -The permanent buildings for the troops consist of about 500 separate -houses, substantial, airy, and well lighted, all built of brick, and -slated, and kept in good repair; each of these is about seventy feet -long, twenty broad, and of one story high. A million and a-half pounds -sterling have already been expended on this camp. Behind the quarters -are the soldiers' gardens, a feature added lately to the camps in -England. There were only a few thousand soldiers at the place, so we -soon saw all that was interesting, and then adjourned to a Restaurant, -where I observed about twenty officers go in a body to breakfast. This -they did in a separate room, but their loud, coarse, and outrageously -violent conversation really amazed me. The din was monstrous and -without intermission. We had never before fallen in with so very bad a -specimen of French manners, and I cannot help thinking there may have -been special reasons for these men bellowing for half an hour as they -ate their breakfast. - -The "mess system" has been tried in the French army several times, but -it seems to fail always, as the French Clubs do, on the whole. It is not -wise, however, for a traveller to generalize too rapidly upon the -character of any portion of a great people if he has not lived long -among them. A hasty glance may discern that a stranger has a long nose, -but you must have better acquaintance with him before you can truly -describe the character of your friend. In a little book just published -in France about the English Bar two facts are noted, that Barristers put -the name of their "Inn" on their visiting cards, and that the Temple -Volunteers are drilled admirably by a Serjeant-at-Law, who wields "an -umbrella with a varnished cover, which glances in the sun like a sword"! - -Another interesting town in this department of France is Rheims (spelt -Reims, and pronounced very nearly Rens). Having still an hour or two -free, I went there, and enjoyed the visit to the very splendid -cathedral. It is one of the finest in Europe, very old, very large, -very rich, and celebrated as the place of coronation for the French -sovereigns. Besides all this it is kept in good order, and is remarkably -clean. The outside is covered with stone figures, most of them rude in -art, but giving at a distance an appearance of prodigal richness of -material. A little periodical called _France Illustrated_ is published -at fourpence each number, with a map of the Department, several woodcuts -of notable places or events, and a brief history of the principal towns, -concluding with a _résumé_ of the statistics of the Department. A -publication of this kind would, I think, be very useful in England; and -for travellers especially, who could purchase at the County town the -particular number or part then required. - -In one of the adjoining Departments, according to this publication, it -appears that there are about a hundred suicides in the year among a -population of half a million. Surely this is an alarming proportion; and -what should we say if Manchester had to report 100 men and women in one -year who put themselves to death? - -But we are subsiding, you see, into the ordinary tales of a traveller, -because I am waiting now for the train and the Rob Roy, and certainly -this my only experience of widowerhood made me long again for the -well-known yellow oaken side of the boat and her pink-brown cedar -varnished top. - -Well, next morning here is the canoe at Epernay, arrived all safe at a -cost of 2_s._ 6_d._ All safe we thought at first, but we soon found it -had been sadly bruised, and would surely leak. I turned it upside down -on the railway platform in the hot sun, and bought two candles and -occupied three good hours in making repairs and greasing all the seams. -But after all this trouble, when we put the boat into the Marne, the -water oozed in all round. - -It is humiliating to sit in a leaky boat--it is like a lame horse or a -crooked gun; of all the needful qualities of a boat the first is to keep -out the water. So I stopped at the first village, and got a man to mix -white lead and other things, and we carefully worked this into all the -seams, leaving it to harden while I had my breakfast in the little -auberge close by the shore, where they are making the long rafts to go -down to Paris, and where hot farmers come to sip their two-penny bottle -of wine. - -The raft man was wonderfully proud of his performance with the canoe, -and he called out to each of his friends as they walked past, to give -them its long history in short words. When I paid him at last, he said -he hoped I would never forget that the canoe had been thoroughly mended -in the middle of France, at the village of ----, but I really do not -remember the name. - -However, there were not wanting tests of his workmanship, for the Rob -Roy had to be pulled over many dykes and barriers on the Marne. Some of -these were of a peculiar construction, and were evidently novel in -design. - -A "barrage" reached across the stream, and there were three steps or -falls on it, with a plateau between each. The water ran over these -steps, and was sometimes only a few inches in depth on the crest of each -fall, where it had to descend some eight or ten inches at most. - -This, of course, would have been easy enough for the canoe to pass, but -then a line of iron posts was ranged along each plateau, and chains were -tied from the top of one post to the bottom of another, diagonally, and -it will be understood that this was a very puzzling arrangement to steer -through in a fast current. - -In cases of this sort I usually got ashore to reconnoitre, and having -calculated the angle at which we must enter the passage obliquely (down -a fall, and across its stream), I managed to get successfully through -several of these strange barriers. We came at length to one which, on -examination, I had to acknowledge was "impassable," for the chains were -slack, and there was only an inch or two of "law" on either side of the -difficult course through them. - -[Illustration: "The Chain Barrier."] - -However, a man happened to see my movements and the canoe, and soon he -called some dozen of his fellow navvies from their work to look at the -navigator. - -The captain was therefore incited by these spectators to try the -passage, and I mentally resolved at any rate to be cool and placid, -however much discomfiture was to be endured. The boat was steered to the -very best of my power, but the bow of the canoe swerved an inch in the -swift oblique descent, and instantly it got locked in the chains, while -I quietly got out (whistling an air in slow time), and then, in the -water with all my clothes on, I steadily lifted the boat through the -iron network and got into her, dripping wet, but trying to behave as if -it were only the usual thing. The navvies cheered a long and loud bravo! -but I felt somewhat ashamed of having yielded to the desire for ignorant -applause, and when finally round the next corner I got out and changed -my wet things, a wiser and a sadder man, but dry. - -This part of the river is in the heart of the champagne country, and all -the softly swelling hills about are thickly covered by vineyards. The -vine for champagne is exceedingly small, and grows round one stick, and -the hillside looks just like a carding-brush, from the millions of these -little sharp-pointed rods upright in the ground and close together, -without any fence whatever between the innumerable lots. The grape for -champagne is always red, and never white, so they said, though "white -grapes are grown for eating." During the last two months few people have -consumed more grapes in this manner than the chief mate of the Rob Roy -canoe. - -On one of these hills we noticed the house of Madame Clicquot, whose -name has graced many a cork of champagne bottles and of bottles not -champagne. - -The vineyards of Ai, near Epernay, are the most celebrated for their -wine. After the bottles are filled, they are placed neck downwards, and -the sediment collects near the cork. Each bottle is then uncorked in -this position, and the confined gas forces out a little of the wine with -the sediment, while a skilful man dexterously replaces the cork when -this sediment has been expelled. One would think that only a very -skilful man can perform such a feat. When the bottles are stored in -"caves," or vast cellars, the least change of temperature causes them to -burst by hundreds. Sometimes one-fourth of the bottles explode in this -manner, and it is said that the renowned Madame Clicquot lost 400,000 in -the hot autumn of 1843, before sufficient ice could be fetched from -Paris to cool her spacious cellars. Every year about fifty million -bottles of genuine champagne are made in France, and no one can say how -many more millions of bottles of "French champagne" are imbibed every -year by a confiding world. - -The Marne is a large and deep river, and its waters are kept up by -barriers every few miles. It is rather troublesome to pass these by -taking the boat out and letting it down on the other side, and in -crossing one of them I gave a serious blow to the stern of the canoe -against an iron bar. This blow started four planks from the sternpost, -and revealed to me also that the whole frame had suffered from the -journey at night on an open truck. However, as my own ship's carpenter -was on board, and had nails and screws, we soon managed to make all -tight again, and by moonlight came to Dormans, where I got two men to -carry the boat as usual to an hotel, and had the invariable run of -visitors from that time until everybody went to bed. - -It is curious to remark the different names by which the canoe has been -called, and among these the following:--"_Batteau_," "_schiff_," -"_bôt_," "_barca_," "_canôt_," "_caique_" (the soldiers who have been in -the Crimea call it thus), "_chaloupe_" "_navire_," "_schipp_" (Low -German), "_yacht_" ("jacht"--Danish, "jaht," from "jagen," to ride -quickly--properly a boat drawn by horses). Several people have spoken of -it as "_batteau à vapeur_," for in the centre of France they have never -seen a steamboat, but the usual name with the common people is "_petit -batteau_" and among the educated people "_nacelle_" or "_perissoir_;" -this last as we call a dangerous boat a "coffin" or "sudden death." - -An early start next morning found me slipping along with a tolerable -current and under sail before a fine fresh breeze, but with the same -unalterable blue sky. I had several interesting conversations with -farmers and others riding to market along the road which here skirts the -river. What most surprises the Frenchman is that a traveller can -possibly be happy alone! Not one hour have I had of _ennui_, and, -however selfish it may seem, it is true that for this sort of journey I -prefer to travel entirely _seul_. - -Pleasant trees and pretty gardens are here on every side in plenty, but -where are the houses of the gentlemen of France, and where are the -French gentlemen themselves? This is a difference between France and -England which cannot fail to "knock" the observant traveller (as Artemus -Ward would say)--the notable absence of country seats during hours and -hours of passage along the best routes; whereas in England the prospect -from almost every hill of woodland would have a great house at the end -of its vista, and the environs of every town would stretch into outworks -of villas smiling in the sun. The French have ways and fashions which -are not ours, but their nation is large enough to entitle them to a -standard of their own, just as the Americans, with so great a people -agreed on the matter, may surely claim liberty to speak with a twang, -and to write of a "plow." - -I am convinced that it is a mistake to say we Britons are a silent -people compared with the French or Americans. At some hundred sittings -of the table d'hôte in both these countries I have found more of dull, -dead silence than in England at our inns. An Englishman accustomed only -to the pleasant chat of a domestic dinner feels ill at ease when dining -with strangers, and so he notices their silence all the more; but the -French table d'hôte (not in the big barrack hotels, for English -tourists, we have before remarked upon) has as little general -conversation, and an American one has far less than in England. - -Here in France come six or seven middle-class men to dine. They put the -napkin kept for each from yesterday, and recognized by the knots they -tied on it, up to their chins like the pinafore of a baby, and wipe -plate, fork, and spoons with the other end, and eat bits and scraps of -many dishes, and scrape their plates almost clean, and then depart, and -not one word has been uttered. - -Then, again, there is the vaunted French climate. Bright sun, no doubt, -but forget not that it is so very bright as to compel all rooms to be -darkened from ten to four each day. At noon the town is like a cemetery; -no one thinks of walking, riding, or looking out of his window in the -heat. From seven to nine in the morning, and from an hour before sunset -to any time you please at night, the open air is delicious. But I -venture to say that in a week of common summer weather we see more of -the sun in England than in France, for we seldom have so much of it at -once as to compel us to close our eyes against its fierce rays. In fact, -the sensation of life in the South, after eleven o'clock in the morning, -is that of _waiting for the cool hours_, and so day after day is a -continual reaching forward to something about to come; whereas, an -English day of sunshine is an enjoyable present from beginning to end. -Once more, let it be remembered that twilight lasts only for half an -hour in the sunny South; that delicious season of musing and long -shadows is a characteristic of the northern latitudes which very few -Southerners have ever experienced at all. - -The run down the Marne for about 200 miles was a pleasant part of the -voyage, but seldom so exciting in adventure as the paddling on unknown -waters. Long days of work could therefore be now well endured, for -constant exercise had trained the body, and a sort of instinct was -enough, when thus educated by experience, to direct the mind. Therefore -the Rob Roy's paddle was in my hands for ten hours at a time without -weariness, and sometimes even for twelve hours at a stretch. - -After a comfortable night at Chateau Thierry in the Elephant Hotel, -which is close to the water, I took my canoe down from the hayloft to -which it had been hoisted, and once more launched her on the river. The -current gradually increased, and the vineyards gave place to forest -trees. See, there are the rafts, some of casks, lashed together with -osiers, some of planks, others of hewn logs, and others of great rough -trees. There is a straw hut on them for the captain's cabin, and the -crew will have a stiff fortnight's work to drag, push, and steer this -congeries of wood on its way to the Seine. The labour spent merely in -adjusting and securing the parts is enormous, but labour of that kind -costs little here. - -Further on there is a large flock of sheep conducted to the river to -drink, in the orthodox pastoral manner of picture-books. But (let us -confess it) they were also driven by the sagacious shepherd's dogs, who -seem to know perfectly that the woolly multitude has come precisely to -drink, and, therefore, the dogs cleverly press forward each particular -sheep, until it has got a place by the cool brink of the water. - -In the next quiet bay a village maid drives her cow to the river, and -chats across the water with another, also leading in a cow to wade knee -deep, and to dip its broad nose, and lift it gently again from the cool -stream. On the road alongside is a funny little waggon, and a whole -family are within. This concern is actually drawn along by a goat. Its -little kid skips about, for the time of toil has not yet come to the -youngling, and it may gambol now. - -But here is the bridge of Nogent, so I leave my boat in charge of an old -man, and give positive pleasure to the cook at the auberge by ordering a -breakfast. Saints' portraits adorn the walls, and a "sampler" worked by -some little girl, with only twenty-five letters in the alphabet, for the -"w" is as yet ignored in classic grammars, though it has now to be -constantly used in the common books and newspapers. Why, they even adopt -our sporting terms, and you see in a paper that such a race was only "un -Walkover," and that another was likely to be "un dead heat." - -Suddenly in my quiet paddling here the sky was shaded, and on looking up -amazed I found a cloud; at last, after six weeks of brilliant blue and -scorching glare, one fold of the fleecy curtain has been drawn over the -sun. - -The immediate effect of this cooler sky was very invigorating, though, -after weeks of hot glare (reflected upwards again into the face from -the water), it seemed the most natural thing to be always in a blaze of -light, for much of the inconvenience of it was avoided by a plan which -will be found explained in the Appendix, with some other hints to -"Boating Men." - -The day went pleasantly now, and with only the events of ordinary times, -which need not be recounted. The stream was steady, the banks were -peopled, and many a blue-bloused countryman stopped to look at the canoe -as she glided past, with the captain's socks and canvas shoes on the -deck behind him, for this was his drying-place for wet clothes. - -Now and then a pleasure-boat was seen, and there were several canoes at -some of the towns, but all of them flat-bottomed and open, and -desperately unsafe--well named "perissoirs." Some of these were made of -metal. The use of this is well-known to be a great mistake for any boat -under ten tons; in all such cases it is much heavier than wood of the -same strength, considering the strains which a boat must expect to -undergo. - -"La Ferté sous Jouarre" is the long name of the next stopping-place. -There are several towns called by the name La Ferté (La Fortifié), which -in some measure corresponds with the termination "caster" or "cester" of -English names. Millstones are the great specialty of this La Ferté. A -good millstone costs 50_l._, and there is a large exportation of them. -The material has the very convenient property of not requiring to be -chipped into holes, as these exist in this stone naturally. - -At La Ferté I put the boat into a hayloft; how often it has occupied -this elevated lodgings amongst its various adventures; and at dinner -with me there is an intelligent and hungry bourgeois from Paris, with -his vulgar and hearty wife, and opposite to them the gossip of the town, -who kept rattling on the stupid, endless fiddle-faddle of everybody's -doings, sayings, failings, and earnings. Some amusement, however, -resulted from the collision of two gossips at our table of four guests, -for while the one always harped upon family tales of La Ferté, its local -statistics, and the minute sayings of its people, the other kept -struggling to turn our thoughts to shoes and slippers, for he was a -commercial traveller with a cartful of boots to sell. But, after all, -how much of our conversation in better life is only of the same kind, -though about larger, or at any rate different things; what might sound -trifles to our British Cabinet would be the loftiest politics of -Honolulu. - -When we started at eight o'clock next day I felt an unaccountable -languor; my arms were tired, and my energy seemed, for the first time, -deficient. This was the result of a week's hard exercise, and of a -sudden change of wind to the south. Give me our English climate for real -hard work to prosper in. - -One generally associates the north wind with cool and bracing air, and -certainly in the Mediterranean it is the change of wind to the south, -the hated _sirocce_, that enervates the traveller at once. But this -north wind on the Marne came over a vast plain of arid land heated by -two months of scorching sun, whereas the breezes of last week, though -from the east, had been tempered in passing over the mountains of the -Vosges. - -Forty-two miles lay before me to be accomplished before arriving -to-night at my resting-place for Sunday, and it was not a pleasant -prospect to contemplate with stiff muscles in the shoulders. However, -after twelve miles I found that about twenty miles in turnings of the -river could be cut off by putting the boat on a cart, and thus a league -of walking and 3_s._ 4_d._ of payment solved the difficulty. The old man -with his cart was interesting to talk to, and we spoke about those deep -subjects which are of common interest to all. - -At a turn in the road we came upon a cart overturned and with a little -crowd round it, while the earth was covered with a great pool of what -seemed to be blood, but was only wine. The cart had struck a tree, and -the wine-cask on it instantly burst, which so frightened the horse that -he overset the cart. - -The Rob Roy was soon in the water again, and the scenery had now become -much more enjoyable. - -I found an old soldier at a ferry who fetched me a bottle of wine, and -then he and his wife sat in their leaky, flat, green-painted boat, and -became very great friends with the Englishman. He had been at the taking -of Constantine in Algeria, a place which really does look quite -impossible to be taken by storm. But the appearance of a fortress is -deceptive except to the learned in such matters. Who would think that -Comorn, in Hungary, is stronger than Constantine? When you get near -Comorn there is nothing to see, and it is precisely because of this that -it was able to resist so long. - -The breeze soon freshened till I hoisted my sails and was fairly wafted -on to Meaux, so that, after all, the day, begun with forebodings, became -as easy and as pleasant as the rest. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Meaux on the Marne--Hammering--Popish forms--Wise dogs--Blocked - in a tunnel--A dry voyage--Arbour and garret--Odd - fellows--Dream on the Seine--Almost over--No - admittance--Charing-cross. - - -There are three hemispheres of scenery visible to the traveller who -voyages thus in a boat on the rivers. First, the great arch of sky, and -land, and trees, and flowers down to the water's brink; then the whole -of this reflected beautifully in the surface of the river; and then the -wondrous depths in the water itself, with its animal life, its rocks and -glades below, and its flowers and mosses. Now rises the moon so clear, -and with the sky around it so black that no "man in the moon" can be -seen. - -At the hotel we find a whole party of guests for the marriage-dinner of -a newly-wedded pair. The younger portion of the company adjourn to the -garden and let off squibs and crackers, so it seems to be a good time to -exhibit some of my signal lights from my bedroom-window, and there is -much cheering as the Englishman illumines the whole neighbourhood. Next -day the same people all assembled for the marriage breakfast, and -sherry, madeira, and champagne flowed from the well-squeezed purse of -the bride's happy father. - -I have noticed that the last sound to give way to the stillness of the -night in a village is that of the blacksmith's hammer, which is much -more heard abroad than at home. Perhaps this is because much of their -execrable French ironwork is made in each town; whereas in England it is -manufactured by machinery in great quantities and at special places. At -any rate, after travelling on the Continent long enough to become calm -and observant, seeing, hearing, and, we may add, scenting all around, -the picture in the mind is full of blue dresses, white stones, jingling -of bells, and the "cling, cling" of the never idle blacksmith. - -This town of Meaux has a bridge with houses on it, and great mill-wheels -filling up the arches as they used to do in old London-bridge. Pleasant -gardens front the river, and cafés glitter there at night. These are not -luxuries but positive necessaries of life for the Frenchman, and it is -their absence abroad which--we believe--is one chief cause of his being -so bad a colonist, for the Frenchman has only the expression "with me" -for "home," and no word for "wife" but "woman." - -The cathedral of Meaux is grand and old, and see how they masquerade -the service in it! Look at the gaunt "Suisse," with his cocked-hat kept -on in church, with his sword and spear. The twenty priests and twelve -red-surpliced boys intone to about as many hearers. A monk escorted -through the church makes believe to sprinkle holy water on all sides -from that dirty plasterer's brush, and then two boys carry on their -shoulders a huge round loaf, the "pain benit," which, after fifty -bowings, is blessed, and escorted back to be cut up, and is then given -in morsels to the congregation. These endless ceremonies are the meshes -of the net of Popery, and they are well woven to catch many Frenchmen, -who must have action, show, the visible tangible outside, whatever may -be meant by it. - -This service sets one a-thinking. Some form there must be in worship. -One may suppose, indeed, that perfect spirit can adore God without -attitude, or even any sequence or change. Yet in the Bible we hear of -Seraphs veiling their bodies with their wings, and of elders prostrate -at certain times, and saints that have a litany even in heaven. Mortals -must have some form of adoration, but there is the question, How much? -and on this great point how many wise and foolish men have written books -without end, or scarcely any effect! - -The riverside was a good place for a quiet Sunday walk. Here a flock of -300 sheep had come to drink, and nibble at the flowers hanging over the -water, and the simple-hearted shepherd stood looking on while his dogs -rushed backward and forward, yearning for some sheep to do wrong, that -their dog service might be required to prevent or to punish naughty -conduct. This "Berger" inquires whether England is near Africa, and how -large our legs of mutton are, and if we have sheep-dogs, and are there -any rivers in our island on the sea. Meanwhile at the hotel the marriage -party kept on "breakfasting," even until four o'clock, and non-melodious -songs were sung. The French, as a people, do not excel in vocal music, -either in tone or in harmony, but then they are precise in time. - -Afloat again next morning, and quite refreshed, we prepared for a long -day's work. The stream was now clear, and the waving tresses of dark -green weeds gracefully curved under water, while islands amid deep shady -bays varied the landscape above. - -I saw a canal lock open, and paddled in merely for variety, passing soon -into a tunnel, in the middle of which there was a huge boat fixed, and -nobody with it. The boat exactly filled the tunnel, and the men had gone -to their dinner, so I had first to drag their huge boat out, and then -the canoe proudly glided into daylight, having a whole tunnel to itself. - -At Lagny, where we were to breakfast, I left my boat with a nice old -gentleman, who was fishing in a nightcap and spectacles, and he assured -me he would stop there two hours. But when I scrambled back to it -through the mill (the miller's men amazed among their wholesome dusty -sacks), the disconsolate Rob Roy was found to be all alone, the first -time she had been left in a town an "unprotected female." - -To escape a long serpent wind of the river, we entered another canal and -found it about a foot deep, with clear water flowing pleasantly. This -seemed to be very fortunate, and it was enjoyed most thoroughly for a -few miles, little knowing what was to come. Presently weeds began, then -clumps of great rushes, then large bushes and trees, all growing with -thick grass in the water, and at length this got so dense that the -prospect before me was precisely like a very large hayfield, with grass -four feet high, all ready to be mowed, but which had to be mercilessly -rowed through. - -This on a hot day without wind, and in a long vista, unbroken by a man -or a house, or anything lively, was rather daunting, but we had gone too -far to recede with honour, and so by dint of pushing and working I -actually got the boat through some miles of this novel obstruction -(known only this summer), and brought her safe and sound again to the -river. At one place there was a bridge over this wet marsh, and two men -happened to be going over it as the canoe came near. They soon called to -some neighbours, and the row of spectators exhibited the faculty so -notable in French people and so rarely found with us, that of being able -to keep from laughing right out at a foreigner in an awkward case. The -absurd sight of a man paddling a boat amid miles of thick rushes was -indeed a severe test of courteous gravity. However, I must say that the -labour required to penetrate this marsh was far less than one would -suppose from the appearance of the place. The sharp point of the boat -entered, and its smooth sides followed through hedges, as it were, of -aquatic plants, and, on the whole (and after all was done!), I preferred -the trouble and muscular effort required then to that of the monotonous -calm of usual canal sailing. - -[Illustration: "Canal Miseries."] - -Fairly in the broad river again the Rob Roy came to Neuilly, and it was -plain that my Sunday rest had enabled over thirty miles to be -accomplished without any fatigue at the end. With some hesitation we -selected an inn on the water-side. The canoe was taken up to it and put -on a table in a summer-house, while my own bed was in a garret where one -could not stand upright--the only occasion where I have been badly -housed; and pray let no one be misled by the name of this abode--"The -Jolly Rowers." - -Next day the river flowed fast again, and numerous islands made the -channels difficult to find. The worst of these difficulties is that you -cannot prepare for them. No map gives any just idea of your route--the -people on the river itself are profoundly ignorant of its navigation. -For instance, in starting, my landlord told me that in two hours we -should reach Paris. After ten miles an intelligent man said, "Distance -from Paris? it is six hours from here;" while a third informed me a -little further on, "It is just three leagues and a half from this spot." - -The banks were now dotted with villas, and numerous pleasure-boats were -moored at neat little stairs. The vast number of these boats quite -astonished me, and the more so as very few of them were ever to be seen -in actual use. - -The French are certainly ingenious in their boat-making, but more of -ingenuity than of practical exercise is seen on the water. On several -rivers we remarked the "walking machine," in which a man can walk on the -water by fixing two small boats on his feet. A curious mode of rowing -with your face to the bows has lately been invented by a Frenchman, and -it is described in the Appendix. - -We stopped to breakfast at a new canal cutting, and as there were many -_gamins_ about, I fastened a stone to my painter and took the boat out -into the middle of the river, and so left her moored within sight of the -arbour, where I sat, and also within sight of the ardent-eyed boys who -gazed for hours with wistful looks on the tiny craft and its fluttering -flag. Their desire to handle as well as to see is only natural for -these little fellows, and, therefore, if the lads behave well, I always -make a point of showing them the whole affair quite near, after they -have had to abstain from it so long as a forbidden pleasure. - -Strange that this quick curiosity of French boys does not ripen more of -them into travellers, but it soon gets expended in trifling details of a -narrow circle, while the sober, sedate, nay, the _triste_, Anglian is -found scurrying over the world with a carpet-bag, and pushing his way in -foreign crowds without one word of their language, and all the while as -merry as a lark. Among the odd modes of locomotion adopted by -Englishmen, we have already mentioned that of the gentleman travelling -in Germany with a four-in-hand and two spare horses. We met another -Briton who had made a tour in a road locomotive which he bought for -700_l._, and sold again at the same price. One more John Bull, who -regarded the canoe as a "queer conveyance," went himself abroad on a -velocipede. None of these, however, could cross seas, lakes, and rivers -like the canoe, which might be taken wherever a man could walk or a -plank could swim. - -It seemed contrary to nature that, after thus nearing pretty Paris, -one's back was now to be turned upon it for hours in order to have a -wide, vague, purposeless voyage into country parts. But the river -willed it so; for here a great curve began and led off to the left, -while the traffic of the Marne went straight through a canal to the -right,--through a canal, and therefore I would not follow it there. - -The river got less and less in volume; its water was used for the canal, -and it could scarcely trickle, with its maimed strength, through a -spacious sweep of real country life. Here we often got grounded, got -entangled in long mossy weeds, got fastened in overhanging trees, and, -in fact, suffered all the evils which the smallest brook had ever -entailed, though this was a mighty river. - -The bend was more and more inexplicable, as it turned more round and -round, till my face was full in the sunlight at noon, and I saw that the -course was now due south. - -Rustics were there to look at me, and wondering herdsmen too, as if the -boat was in mid Germany, instead of being close to Paris. Evidently -boating men in that quarter never came here by the river, and the Rob -Roy was a _rara avis_ floating on a stream unused. - -But the circle was rounded at last, as all circles are, however large -they be; and we got back to the common route, to civilization, fishing -men and fishing women, and on the broad Marne once more. So here I -stopped a bit for a ponder. - -And now we unmoor for the last time, and enter the Rob Roy for its final -trip--the last few miles of the Marne, and of more than a thousand miles -rowed and sailed since we started from England. I will not disguise my -feeling of sadness then, and I wished that Paris was still another day -distant. - -For this journey in a canoe has been interesting, agreeable, and useful, -though its incidents may not be realized by reading what has now been -described. The sensation of novelty, freedom, health, and variety all -day and every day was what cannot be recited. The close acquaintance -with the people of strange lands, and the constant observation of nature -around, and the unremitting attention necessary for progress, all -combine to make a voyage of this sort improving to the mind thus kept -alert, while the body thoroughly enjoys life when regular hard exercise -in the open air dissipates the lethargy of these warmer climes. - -These were my thoughts as I came to the Seine and found a cool bank to -lie upon under the trees, with my boat gently rocking in the ripples of -the stream below, and the nearer sound of a great city telling that -Paris was at hand. "Here," said I, "and now is my last hour of life -savage and free. Sunny days; alone, but not solitary; worked, but not -weary"--as in a dream the things, places, and men I had seen floated -before my eyes half closed. The panorama was wide, and fair to the -mind's eye; but it had a tale always the same as it went quickly -past--that vacation was over, and work must begin. - -Up, then, for this is not a life of mere enjoyment. Again into the -harness of "polite society," the hat, the collar, the braces, the -gloves, the waistcoat, the latch-key--perhaps, the razor--certainly the -umbrella. How every joint and limb will rebel against these manacles, -but they must be endured! - -The gradual approach to Paris by gliding down the Seine was altogether a -new sensation. By diligence, railway, or steamer, you have nothing like -it--not certainly by walking into Paris along a dusty road. - -For now we are smoothly carried on a wide and winding river, with -nothing to do but to look and to listen while the splendid panorama -majestically unfolds. Villas thicken, gardens get smaller as houses are -closer, trees get fewer as walls increase. Barges line the banks, -commerce and its movement, luxury and its adornments, spires and cupolas -grow out of the dim horizon, and then bridges seem to float towards me, -and the hum of life gets deeper and busier, while the pretty little -prattling of the river stream yields to the roar of traffic, and to that -indescribable thrill which throbs in the air around this the capital of -the Continent, the centre of the politics, the focus of the pleasure and -the splendour of the world. - -In passing the island at Notre Dame I fortunately took the proper side, -but even then we found a very awkward rush of water under the bridges. -This was caused by the extreme lowness of the river, which on this very -day was three feet lower than in the memory of man. The fall over each -barrier, though wide enough, was so shallow that I saw at the last -bridge the crowd above me evidently calculated upon my being upset; and -they were nearly right too. The absence of other boats showed me (now -experienced in such omens) that some great difficulty was at hand, but I -also remarked that by far the greater number of observers had collected -over one particular arch, where at first there seemed to be the very -worst chance for getting through. By logical deduction I argued, "that -must be the best arch, after all, for they evidently expect I will try -it," and, with a horrid presentiment that my first upset was to be at my -last bridge, I boldly dashed forward--whirl, whirl the waves, and -grate--grate--my iron keel; but the Rob Roy rises to the occasion, and a -rewarding Bravo! from the Frenchmen above is answered by a British "All -right" from the boat below. - -No town was so hard to find a place for the canoe in as the bright, gay -Paris. I went to the floating baths; they would not have me. We paddled -to the funny old ship; they shook their heads. We tried a coal wharf; -but they were only civil there. Even the worthy washerwomen, my quondam -friends, were altogether callous now about a harbour for the canoe. - -In desperation we paddled to a bath that was being repaired, but when my -boat rounded the corner it was met by a volley of abuse from the -proprietor for disturbing his fishing; he was just in the act of -expecting the final bite of a _goujon_. - -Relenting as we apologized and told the Rob Roy's tale, he housed her -there for the night; and I shouldered my luggage and wended my way to an -hotel. - -Here is Meurice's, with the homeward tide of Britons from every Alp and -cave of Europe flowing through its salons. Here are the gay streets, too -white to be looked at in the sun, and the _poupeé_ theatres under the -trees, and the dandies driving so stiff in hired carriages, and the -dapper, little soldiers, and the gilded cafés. - -Yes, it is Paris--and more brilliant than ever! - -I faintly tried to hope, but--pray pardon me--I utterly failed to -believe that any person there had enjoyed his summer months with such -excessive delight as the captain, the purser, the ship's cook, and cabin -boy of the Rob Roy canoe. - -Eight francs take the boat by rail to Calais. Two shillings take her -thence to Dover. The railway takes her free to Charing Cross, and there -two porters put her in the Thames again. - -A flowing tide, on a sunny evening, bears her fast and cheerily straight -to Searle's, there to debark the Rob Roy's cargo safe and sound and -thankful, and to plant once more upon the shore of old England - - The flag that braved a thousand miles, - The rapid and the snag. - -[Illustration] - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -GOSSIP ASHORE ABOUT THINGS AFLOAT. - -Those who intend to make a river voyage on the Continent--and several -canoes are preparing for this purpose--will probably feel interested in -some of the following information, while other readers of these pages -may be indulgent enough to excuse the relation of a few particulars and -technical details. - -It is proposed, then, to give, first, a description of the canoe -considered to be most suitable for a voyage of this sort after -experience has aided in modifying the dimensions of the boat already -used; second, an inventory of the cargo or luggage of the Rob Roy, with -remarks on the subject, for the guidance of future passengers. - -Next there will be found some notes upon rocks and currents in broken -water; and lastly, some further remarks on the "Kent," and a few -miscellaneous observations upon various points. - -Although the Rob Roy and its luggage were not prepared until after much -cogitation, it is well that intending canoists should have the benefit -of what experience has since proved as to the faults and virtues of the -arrangements devised for a first trip, after these have been thoroughly -tasted in so pleasant a tour. - -The best dimensions for the canoe appear to be--length, 14 feet -[15][XXXVI.]; beam, 26 inches [28], six inches abaft the midship; depth -outside, from keel to deck, 9 inches; camber, 1 inch [2]; keel, 1 inch, -with a strip of iron, half an inch broad, carefully secured all the way -below, and a copper strip up the stem and stern posts, and round the top -of each of them. - - [XXXVI.] The figures in [ ] are the dimensions of the old Rob Roy. - -The new canoe now building will have the beam at the water's edge, and -the upper plank will "topple in," so that the cedar deck will be only 20 -inches wide. - -The "well" or opening in the deck should be 4 feet long [4 feet 6 -inches] and 20 inches wide, with a strong combing all round, sloping -forward, but not more than 1 inch [2] high at the bow end. This opening -should be semicircular at the ends, both for appearance sake and -strength and convenience, so as to avoid corners. The macintosh sheet to -cover this must be strong, to resist constant wear, light coloured, for -the sun's heat, and so attached as to be readily loosened and made fast -again, say 20 times a day, and by cords which will instantly break if -you have to jump out. In the new canoe this macintosh (the most -difficult part of the equipment to arrange) is 18 inches long, and a -light wooden hatch covers the fore part, an arrangement found to be most -successful. - -A water-tight compartment in the hull is a mistake. Its partition -prevents access to breakages within, and arrests the circulation of air, -and it cannot be kept long perfectly staunch. There should be extra -timbers near the seat. - -The canoe must be so constructed as to endure without injury, (1) to be -lifted by any part whatever; (2) to be rested on any part; (3) to be sat -upon while aground, on any part of the deck, the combing, and the -interior. - -Wheels for transport have been often suggested, but they would be -useless. On plain ground or grass you can readily do without them. On -rocks and rough ground, or over ditches and through hedges, wheels could -not be employed, and at all times they would be in the way. Bilge pieces -are not required. Strength must be had without them, and their -projections seriously complicate the difficulties of pushing the boat -over a pointed rock, both when afloat and when ashore; besides, as they -are not parallel to the keel they very much retard the boat's speed. - -The paddle should be 7 feet long (not more), weight, 2 lbs. 9 oz., -strong, with blades 6 inches broad, ends rounded, thick, and banded with -copper. There should be conical cups of vulcanised India rubber to catch -the dribbling water, and, if possible, some plan (not yet devised) for -preventing or arresting the drops from the paddle ends, which fall on -the deck when you paddle slowly, and when there is not enough -centrifugal force to throw this water away from the boat. - -The painter ought to be of the best flexible rope, not tarred, well able -to bear 200 lb. weight; more than 20 feet of rope is a constant -encumbrance. The ends should be silk-whipped and secured through a hole -in the stem post and another in the stern post (so that either or both -ends can be readily cast off); the slack may be coiled on deck behind -you. - -There should be a back support of two wooden slips, each 15 inches by 3 -inches, placed like the side strokes of the letter H, and an inch apart, -but laced together with cord, or joined by a strip of cloth. Rest them -against the edge of the combing, and so as to be free to yield to the -motion of the back at each stroke, without hurting the spine. If made -fast so as always to project, they are much in the way of the painter in -critical times. They may be hinged below so as to fold down as you get -out, but in this case they are in the way when you are getting in and -wish to sit down in an instant ready for work. - -The mast should be 5 feet long, strong enough to stand gales without -stays, stepped just forward of the stretcher, in a tube an inch above -deck, and so as to be struck without difficulty in a squall, or when -nearing trees, or a bridge, barrier, ferry-rope, bank, or waterfall, or -when going aground. - -The sail, if a lug, should have a fore leach of 3 feet 10 inches, a head -of 3 feet 6 inches, and a foot of 4 feet 6 inches; yard and boom of -bamboo. - -The boat can well stand more sail than this at sea, or in lakes and -broad channels, but the foregoing size for a lug is quite large enough -to manage in stiff breezes and in narrow rocky tortuous rivers. - -A spritsail would be better in some respects, but no plan has, as yet, -been suggested to me for instantly striking the sprit without -endangering the deck, so I mean to use a lug still. - -The material of the sail should be strong cotton, in one piece, without -any eyelet or hole whatever, but with a broad hem, enclosing -well-stretched cord all round. A jib is of little use as a sail. It is -apt to get aback in sudden turns. Besides, you must land either to set -it or to take in its outhaul, so as to be quite snug. But the jib does -well to tie on the shoulders when they are turned to a fierce sun. The -boom should be attached by a brass shackle, so that when "topped" or -folded its end closes on the top of the mast. The sails (with the boom -and yard) should be rolled up round the mast compactly, to be stowed -away forward, so that the end of the mast resting on the stretcher will -keep the roll of sails out of the wet. The flag and its staff when not -fast at the mast-head (by two metal loops) should fit into the -mast-step, and the flag-staff, 24 inches long, should be light, so as -not to sink if it falls overboard, as one of mine did. - -The floor-boards should be strong, and easily detachable, so that one of -them can be at once used as a paddle if that falls overboard. They -should come six inches short of the stern end of a light seat, which -can thus rest on the timbers, so as to be as low as possible, and its -top should be of strong cane open-work. - -The stretcher should have only one length, and let this be carefully -determined after trial before starting. The two sides of its foot-board -should be high and broad, while the middle may be cut down to let the -hand get to the mast. The stretcher should, of course, be moveable, in -order that you may lie down with the legs at full length for repose. - -One brass cleat for belaying the halyard should be on deck, about the -middle, and on the right-hand side. A stud on the other side, and this -cleat will do to make the sheet fast to by one turn on either tack. - - -LIST OF STORES ON BOARD THE ROB ROY. - -1. _Useful Stores._--Paddle, painter (31 feet at first, but cut down to -20 feet), sponge, waterproof cover, 5 feet by 2 feet 3 inches, silk blue -union jack, 10 inches by 8 inches, on a staff 2 feet long. Mast, boom, -and yard. Lug sail, jib, and spare jib (used as a sun shawl). Stretcher, -two back boards, floor boards, basket to sit on (12 inches by 6 inches, -by 1 inch deep), and holding a macintosh coat. For repairs--iron and -brass screws, sheet copper and copper nails, putty and whitelead, a -gimlet, cord, string, and thread, one spare button, needle, pins, canvas -wading shoes (wooden clogs would be better); all the above should be -left with the boat. Black bag for 3 months' luggage, size, 12 inches by -12 inches, by 5 inches deep (just right), closed by three buttons, and -with shoulder-strap. Flannel Norfolk jacket (flaps not too long, else -they dip in the water, or the pockets are inverted in getting out and -in); wide flannel trousers, gathered by a broad back buckle belt, second -trousers for shore should have braces, but in the boat the back buttons -are in the way. Flannel shirt on, and another for shore. A straw hat is -the very best for use--while writing this there are 16 various head -covers before me used in different tours, but the straw hat is best of -all for boating. Thin alpaca black Sunday coat, thick waistcoat, black -leather light-soled spring-sided shoes (should be strong for rocks and -village pavements), cloth cap (only used as a bag), 2 collars, 3 pocket -handkerchiefs, ribbon tie, 2 pair of cotton socks (easily got off for -sudden wading, and drying quickly when put on deck in the sun). Brush, -comb, and tooth-brush. Testament, passport (will be scarcely needed this -season), leather purse, large (and _full_), circular notes, small change -in silver and copper for frequent use, blue spectacles in strong case, -book for journal and sketches, black, blue, and red chalk, and steel -pen. Maps, cutting off a six inch square at a time for pocket reference. -Pipe, tobacco-case, and light-box (metal, to resist moisture from -without and within), Guide books and pleasant evening reading book. You -should cut off covers and all useless pages of books, and every page as -read; no needless weight should be carried hundreds of miles; even a -fly settling on the boat must be refused a free passage. Illustrated -papers, tracts, and anecdotes in French and German for Sunday reading -and daily distribution (far too few had been taken, they were always -well received). Medicine (rhubarb and court plaister), small knife, and -pencil. Messrs. Silver's, in Bishopsgate, is the place for stores. - -2. _Useless Articles._--Boathook, undervest, waterproof helmet, -ventilated cap, foreign Conversation books, glass seltzer bottle and -patent cork (for a drinking flask), tweezers for thorns. - -3. _Lost or Stolen Articles._--Bag for back cushion, waterproof bag for -sitting cushion, long knife, necktie, woven waistcoat, box of quinine, -steel-hafted knife. These, except the last of them, were not missed. I -bought another thick waistcoat from a Jew. - - -ROCKS AND CURRENTS. - -A few remarks may now be made upon the principal cases in which rocks -and currents have to be dealt with by the canoist. - -Even if a set of rules could be laid down for the management of a boat -in the difficult parts of a river, it would not be made easier until -practice has given the boatman that quick judgment as to their -application which has to be patiently acquired in this and other -athletic exercises, such as riding or skating, and even in walking. - -The canoist, who passes many hours every day for months together in the -earnest consideration of the river problems always set before him for -solution, will probably feel some interest in this attempt to classify -those that occur most frequently. - -Steering a boat in a current among rocks is not unlike walking on a -crowded pavement, where the other passengers are going in various -directions, and at various speeds; and this operation of threading your -way in the streets requires a great deal of practice, and not a few -lessons enforced by collisions, to make a pedestrian thoroughly _au -fait_ as a good man in a crowd. After years of walking through crowds, -there is produced by this education of the mind and training of the body -a certain power--not possessed by a novice--which insensibly directs a -man in his course and his speed, but still his judgment has had -insensibly to take cognizance of many varying _data_ in the movements of -other people which must have their effect upon each step he takes. - -After this capacity becomes, as it were, instinctive, or, at any rate, -acts almost involuntarily, a man can walk briskly along Fleet-street at -4 p.m., and, without any distinct thought about other people, or about -his own progress, he can safely get to his journey's end. Indeed, if he -does begin to think of rules or how to apply them systematically, he is -then almost sure to knock up against somebody else. Nay, if two men meet -as they walk through a crowd, and each of them "catches the eye" of the -other, they will probably cease to move instinctively, and, with -uncertain data to reason from, a collision is often the result. - -As the descent of a current among rocks resembles a walk along the -pavement through a crowd, so the passage _across_ a rapid is even more -strictly in resemblance with the course of a man who has to cross a -street where vehicles are passing at uncertain intervals and at various -speeds, though all in the same direction. For it is plain that the thing -to be done is nearly the same, whether the obstacles (as breakers) are -fixed and the current carries you towards them, or the obstacles (as -cabs and carts) are moving, while you have to walk through them on -_terra firma_. - -To cross Park-lane in the afternoon requires the very same sort of -calculation as the passage across the stream in a rapid on the Rhine. - -The importance of this subject of "boating instinct" will be considered -sufficient to justify these remarks when the canoist has by much -practice at last attained to that desirable proficiency which enables -him to steer without thinking about it, and therefore to enjoy the -conversation of other people on the bank or the scenery, while he is -rapidly speeding through rocks, eddies, and currents. - -We may divide the rocks thus encountered in fast water into two -classes--(1) Those that are _sunk_, so that the boat can float over -them, and which do not deflect the direction of the surface current. (2) -Those that are _breakers_, and so deflect the current, and do not allow -the boat to float over them. - -The currents may be divided into--(1) Those that are equable in force, -and in the same direction through the course to be steered. (2) Those -that alter their direction in a part of that course. - -In the problems before the canoist will be found the combinations of -every degree and variety of these rocks and currents, but the actual -circumstances he has to deal with at any specified moment may--it is -believed--be generally ranged under one or other of the six cases -depicted in the accompanying woodcut. - -[Illustration: FIG. 1.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 2.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 3.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 4.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 5.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 6.] - -In each of the figures in the diagram the current is supposed to run -towards the top of the page, and the general course of the canoe is -supposed to be with the current. The particular direction of the current -is indicated by the dotted lines. The rocks when shaded are supposed to -be _sunk_, and when not shaded they are _breakers_. Thus the current is -uniform in figs. 1, 2, 3; and it is otherwise in figs. 4, 5, 6. The -rocks are all sunk in figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5; whereas in figs. 4 and 6 -there are breakers. The black line in these figures, and in all the -others, shows the proper course of the centre of the boat, and it is -well to habituate oneself to make the course such as that this line -shall never be nearer to the rock than one-half of the boat's length. - -The simplest case that can occur is when the canoe is merely floating -without "way" through a current, and the current bears it near a rock. -If this be a breaker, the current, being deflected, will generally carry -the boat to one side. The steering in such cases is so easy, and its -frequent occurrence gives so much practice, that no more need be said -about it. - -But if the rock be a sunk rock, and if it be not quite plain from the -appearance of the water that there is depth enough over the rock to -float the boat, then it is necessary to pass either above the rock, as -in fig. 1, or below it, as in fig. 2. - -A few days' practice is not thrown away if the canoist seizes every -opportunity of performing under easy circumstances feats which may at -other times have to be done under necessity, and which would not be so -well done if attempted then for the first time. - -Let him, therefore, as soon as possible, become adept in crossing above -or below a single sunk rock with his _boat's bow pointed to any angle of -the semicircle before him_. - -Next we have to consider the cases in which more than one rock will have -to be avoided. Now, however great the number of the rocks may be, they -can be divided into sets of three, and in each of the figures 3, 4, 5, 6 -it is supposed that (for reasons which may be different in each case, -but always sufficient) the canoe has to pass between rocks _A_ and _B_, -and then between _B_ and _C_, but must not pass otherwise between _A_ -and _C_. - -In fig. 3 the course is below _B_, and above _C_, being a combination of -the instance in fig. 2 with that in fig. 1. - -The precise angle to the line of the course which the boat's longer axis -ought to have will depend upon what is to be done next after passing -between _B_ and _C_, and hence the importance of being able to effect -the passages in fig. 1 and fig. 2 with the axis at any required angle. - -We may next suppose that one of the three rocks, say _B_, as in fig. 4, -is a breaker which will deflect the current (as indicated by the dotted -stream lines), and it will then be necessary to modify the angle of the -boat's axis, though the boat's centre has to be kept in the same course -as before. - -It will be seen at once that if _A_ were a breaker the angle would be -influenced in another manner, and that if _C_ were a breaker the angle -at which the boat should emerge from the group of rocks would be -influenced by the stream from _C_ also; but it is only necessary to -remind the reader that all the combinations and permutations of breakers -and sunk rocks need not be separately discussed,--they may be met by the -experience obtained in one case of each class of circumstances. - -Fig. 5 represents a _circular current_ over the group of three rocks. -This is a very deceptive case, for it looks so easy that at first it is -likely to be treated carelessly. If the boat were supposed to be a -substance floating, but without weight, it would have its direction of -motion instantly altered by that of the current. But the boat has -weight, and as it has velocity (that of the current even if the boat is -not urged also by the paddle so as to have "way" through the water), -therefore it will have _momentum_, and the tendency will be to continue -the motion in a straight line, instead of a curve guided solely by the -current. In all these cases, therefore, it will be found (sometimes -inexplicably unless with these considerations) that the boat _insists_ -upon passing between _A_ and _C_, where it must not be allowed to go on -the hypothesis we have started with; and if it effects a compromise by -running upon _C_, this is by no means satisfactory. - -This class of cases includes all those in which the river makes a quick -turn round a rock or a tongue _B_, where the boundary formed by the rock -_A_ on the outer bend of the stream is a solid bank, or a fringe of -growing trees, or of faggots artificially built as a protection against -the erosion of the water. This case occurs, therefore, very frequently -in some fast rivers, say, at least, a hundred times in a day's work, and -perhaps no test of a man's experience and capacity as a canoist is more -decisive than his manner of steering round a fast, sharp bend. - -The tendency of the canoist in such cases is always to bring the boat -round by paddling forward with the outer hand, thereby adding to the -"way," and making the force of the current in its circular turn less -powerful relatively. Whereas, the proper plan is to back with the inner -hand, and so to stop all way in the direction of the boat's length, and -to give the current its full force on the boat. Repeated lessons are -needed before this is learned thoroughly. - -The case we have last remarked upon is made easier if either _A_ or _C_ -is a breaker, but it is very much increased in difficulty if the rock -_B_ is a breaker or is a strong tongue of bank, and so deflects the -current outwards at this critical point. - -The difficulty is often increased by the fact that the water inside of -the curve of the stream may be shoal, and so the paddle on that side -strikes the bottom or grinds along it in backing. - -When the curve is all in deep water, and there is a pool after _B_, the -boat ought not to be turned too quickly in endeavouring to avoid the -rock _C_, else it will sometimes then enter the eddy below _B_, which -runs up stream sometimes for fifty yards. In such a case the absurd -position you are thereby thrown into naturally causes you to struggle to -resist or stem this current; but I have found, after repeated trials of -every plan I could think of, that if once the back current has taken the -canoe it is best to let the boat swing with the eddy so as to make an -entire circuit, until the bow can come back towards _B_ (and below it), -when the nose of the boat may be again thrust into the main stream, -which will now turn the boat round again to its proper course. Much time -and labour may be spent uselessly in a wrong and obstinate contest with -an eddy. - -In fig. 6, where the three rocks are in a straight line, and the middle -one is a breaker, an instance is given when the proper course must be -kept by _backing_ during the first part of it. - -We must suppose for this that the canoist has attained the power of -backing with perfect ease, for it will be quite necessary if he intends -to take his boat safely through several hundred combinations of sunk -rocks and breakers. Presuming this, the case in fig. 6 will be easy -enough, though a little reflection will show that it might be very -difficult, or almost impossible, if the canoist could give only a -forward motion to the boat. - -To pass most artistically, then, through the group of rocks in fig. 6 -the stern should be turned towards _A_, as shown in the diagram, and the -passage across the current, between _A_ and _B_, is to be effected -solely by backing water (and chiefly in this case with the left hand) -until the furthest point of the right of the curve is reached, with the -boat's length still as before in the position represented in the figure. -Then the forward action of both hands will take the canoe speedily -through the passage between _B_ and _C_. - -Cases of this sort are rendered more difficult by the distance of _C_ -from the point above _A_, where you are situated when the decision has -to be made (and in three instants of time) as to what must be done; -also, it would usually be imprudent to rise in the boat in such a place -to survey the rock _C_ from a better position. - -If it is evident that the plan described above will not be applicable, -because other and future circumstances will require the boat's bow to -emerge in the opposite direction (pointing to the right), then you must -enter forwards, and must back between _B_ and _C_, so as to be ready, -after passing _C_, to drive forward, and to the right. It is plain that -this is very much more difficult than the former case, for your backing -now has to be done against the full stream from the breaker _B_. - -In all these instances the action of the wind has been entirely omitted -from consideration, but it must not be forgotten that a strong breeze -materially complicates the problem before the canoist. This is -especially so when the wind is aft; when it is ahead you are not likely -to forget its presence. A strong fair wind (that has scarcely been felt -with your back to it) and the swift stream and the boat's speed from -paddling being all in one direction, the breeze will suddenly become a -new element in the case when you try to cross above a rock as in fig. 1, -and find the wind carries you broadside on against all your -calculations. - -Nor have I any observations to make as to sailing among rocks in a -current. The canoe must be directed solely by the paddle in a long -rapid, and in the other places the course to be steered by a boat -sailing is the same as if it were being merely paddled, though the -action of the wind has to be carefully taken into consideration. - -In all these things boldness and skill come only after lessons of -experience, and the canoist will find himself ready and able, at the end -of his voyage, to sail down a rapid which he would have approached -timidly, even with the paddle, at the beginning. - -But perhaps enough has been said for the experienced oarsman, while -surely more than enough has been said to shew the tyro aspirant what -varied work he has to do, and how interesting are the circumstances that -will occupy his attention on a delightful river tour. - - -NOTE ON THE "KENT."--The narrative of a shipwreck referred to at page -219 has been published 40 years ago, and in many foreign languages, but -its circulation is very large at the present time. The following letter -about one of the incidents related in the little book, appeared in the -"Times" of March 22, 1866:-- - - "LETTERS FROM THE DEEP. - - "_To the Editor of the 'Times.'_ - - "Sir,--As attention has been drawn to the letters written on - board the ship London, and washed ashore, it may be interesting - to notice the following remarkable incident respecting a letter - from another ship wrecked in the Bay of Biscay. In March, 1825, - the Kent, East Indiaman, took fire in the Bay of Biscay during - a storm while 641 persons were on board, most of them soldiers - of the 31st Regiment. When all hope was gone, and before a - little vessel was seen which ultimately saved more than 500 - people from the Kent, Major ---- wrote a few lines and enclosed - the paper in a bottle, which was left in the cabin. Nineteen - months after this the writer of the paper arrived in the island - of Barbadoes, in command of another Regiment, and he was amazed - to find that the bottle (cast into the sea by the explosion - that destroyed the Kent) had been washed ashore on that very - island. The paper, with its faint pencil lines expressing - Christian faith, is still preserved; and this account of it can - be authenticated by those who were saved. - - "I am, your obedient servant, - "ONE OF THEM." - -The bottle, after its long immersion, was thickly covered with weeds and -barnacles. The following are the words of the "Letter from the Deep," -which it contained:-- - - "The ship the Kent, Indiaman, is on fire--Elizabeth Joanna and - myself commit our spirits into the hands of our blessed - Redeemer--His grace enables us to be quite composed in the - awful prospect of entering eternity. - - "D. M'GREGOR. - "_1st March, 1825, Bay of Biscay._" - -The writer of that letter lives now with blessings on his venerable -head, while he who records it anew is humbly grateful to God for his own -preservation. And may we not say of every one who reads such words, -written in such an hour, that his life would be unspeakably happy if he -could lay hold now of so firm a Surety, and be certain to keep fast hold -to the end? - - -The following notes are on miscellaneous points:-- - -(_a_) We are sometimes asked about such a canoe voyage as this, "Is it -not very dangerous?" - -There seems to me to be no necessary danger in the descent of a river in -a canoe; but if you desire to make it as safe as possible you must get -out at each difficult place and examine the course, and if the course is -too difficult you may take the boat past the danger by land. - -On the other hand, if the excitement and novelty of finding out a course -on the spur of the moment is to be enjoyed, then, no doubt, there is -more danger to the boat. - -As for danger to the canoist, it is supposed, _imprimis_, that he is -well able to swim, not only in a bath when stripped, but when -unexpectedly thrown into the water with his clothes on, and that he -_knows_ he can rely on this capacity. - -If this be so, the chief danger to him occurs when he meets a steamer on -rough water (rare enough on such a tour); for if his boat is upset by -that, and his head is broken by the paddle floats, the swimming powers -are futile for safety. - -The danger incurred by the boat is certainly both considerable and -frequent, but nothing short of the persuasion that the boat would be -smashed if a great exertion is not made will incite the canoist to those -very exertions which are the charm of travelling, when spirit, strength, -and skill are to be proved. Men have their various lines of exercise as -they have of duty. The huntsman may not understand the pleasures of a -rapid, nor the boatman care for the delights of a "bullfinch." -Certainly, however, the waterman can say that a good horse may carry a -bad rider well, but that the best boat will not take a bad boatman -through a mile of broken water. In each case there is, perhaps, a little -of _populus me sibilat_, and it may possibly be made up for by a good -deal of _at mihi plaudo_. - -(_b_) It has been said that the constant use of a canoe paddle must -contract the chest, but this is certainly a mistake. If, indeed, you -merely dabble each blade of the paddle in the water without taking the -full length of the stroke the shoulders are not thrown back, and the -effect will be injurious; but exactly the same is true if you scull or -row with a short jerky stroke. - -In a proper use of the paddle the arms ought to be in turn fully -extended, and then brought well back, so that the hand touches the side, -and the chest is then well plied in both directions. - -In using the single-bladed paddle, of which I have had experience in -Canada and New Brunswick with the Indians in bark canoes and log canoes, -there seems to be a less beneficial action on the pectoral muscles, but -after three months' use of the double paddle I found the arms much -strengthened, while clothes that fitted before were all too narrow round -the chest when put on after this exercise. - -(_c_) In shallow water the paddle should be clasped lightly, so that if -it strikes the bottom or a rock the hand will yield and not the blade be -broken. - -Great caution should be used when placing the blade in advance to meet a -rock, or even a gravel bank, otherwise it gets jammed in the rock or -gravel, or the boat overrides it. - -It is better in such a case to retard the speed rather by dragging the -paddle (tenderly), and always with its flat side downwards, so that the -edge does not get nipped. - -(_d_) M. Farcôt, a French engineer, has lately exhibited on the Thames a -boat which is rowed by the oarsman sitting with his face to the bow, who -by this means secures one of the advantages of the canoe--that of seeing -where you are going. - -To effect this, a short prop or mast about three feet high is fixed in -the boat, and the two sculls are jointed to it by their handles, while -their weight is partly sustained by a strong spiral spring acting near -the joint, and in such a manner as to keep the blade of the scull a few -inches from the surface of the water when it is not pressed down -purposely. - -The sculler then sits with his face towards the mast and the bow, and he -holds in each hand a rod jointed to the loom of the corresponding scull. -By this means each scull is moved on the mast as a fulcrum with the -power applied between that and the water. The operation of feathering is -partially performed, and to facilitate this there is an ingeniously -contrived guide. - -This invention appears to be new, but it is evident that the plan -retains many of the disadvantages of common sculls, and it leaves the -double paddle quite alone as a simple means for propelling a canoe in -narrow or tortuous channels, or where it has to meet waves, weeds, -rocks, or trees, and moreover has to sail. - -However, the muscular power of the arms can be applied with good effect -in this new manner, and I found it not very difficult to learn the use -of this French rowing apparatus, which is undoubtedly very ingenious, -and deserves a full trial before a verdict is pronounced. - -(_e_) In a difficult place where the boat is evidently going too near a -rock, the disposition of the canoist is to change the direction by a -_forward_ stroke on one side, but this adds to the force with which a -collision may be invested. It is often better to _back_ a stroke on the -other side, and thus to lessen this force; and this is nearly always -possible to be done even when the boat appears to be simply drifting on -the stream. In fact, as a maxim, there is always steerage way sufficient -to enable the paddle to be used exactly as a rudder. - -(_f_) When there is a brilliant glare of the sun, and it is low, and -directly in front, and it is impossible to bear its reflection on the -water, a good plan is to direct the bow to some point you are to steer -for, and then observe the reflection of the sun on the cedar deck of the -boat. Having done this you may lower the peak of your hat so as to cut -off the direct rays of the sun, and its reflected rays on the water, -while you steer simply by the light on the deck. - -(_g_) When a great current moves across a river to a point where it -seems very unlikely to have an exit, you may be certain that some -unusual conformation of the banks or of the river bed will be found -there, and caution should be used in approaching the place. This, -however, is less necessary when the river is deep. Such cross currents -are frequent on the Rhine, but they result merely from unevenness in the -bottom far below, and thus we see how the rapids, most dangerous when -the river is low, become quite agreeable and safe in high flood time. - -(_h_) The ripple and bubbles among weeds are so totally different from -those on free water that their appearance at a distance as a criterion -of the depth, current, and direction of the channel must be learned -separately. In general, where weeds are under water, and can sway or -wave about, there will be water enough to pass--the requisite 3 inches. -Backing up stream against long weeds is so troublesome, and so sure to -sway the stern round athwart stream, that it is best to force the boat -forward instead, even if you have to get out and pull her through. - -(_i_) Paddling through rushes, or flags, or other plants above the -water, so as to cut off a corner, is a mistake. Much more "way" is lost -then by the friction than might be supposed. - -(_j_) I noticed a very curious boat-bridge across the Rhine below Basle. -It seemed to open wide without swinging, and on coming close to it the -plan was found to be this. The boats of one half of the bridge were -drawn towards the shore, and a stage connecting them ran on wheels along -rails inwards from the river, and up an incline on the bank. This system -is ingenious, convenient, and philosophical. - -(_k_) Double-hulled boats have often been tried for sailing, but their -disadvantages are manifest when the craft is on a large scale, though -for toy-boats they answer admirably, and they are now quite fashionable -on the Serpentine. - -The double boat of the nautical tinman on the Rhine, before described, -was a "fond conceit." But there are many double-hulled boats on French -rivers, and they have this sole recommendation, that you sit high up, -and so can fish without fearing you may "turn the turtle." - -When the two hulls are reduced as much as possible, this sort of boat -becomes an aquatic "walking machine," for one foot then rests on each -hull. Propulsion is obtained either by linking the hulls together with -parallel bars moving on studs, while vanes are on each side, so as to -act like fins, and to collapse for the alternate forward stroke of each -foot bound to its hull--or a square paddle, or a pole works on the water -or on the bottom. I have always noticed that the proprietors of such -craft are ingenious, obstinate men, proud of their peculiar mode, and -very touchy when it is criticised. However, it is usually best, and it -is fortunately always easy, to paddle away from them. - -(_l_) The hard exercise of canoe paddling, the open-air motion, constant -working of the muscles about the stomach, and free perspiration result -in good appetite and pleasant sleepiness at night. But at the end of the -voyage the change of diet and cessation of exercise will be apt to cause -derangement in the whole system, and especially in the digestion, if the -high condition or "training" be not cautiously lowered into the humdrum -"constitutionals" of more ordinary life. Still I have found it very -agreeable to take a paddle in the Rob Roy up to Hammersmith and back -even in December and March. - -The last public occasion on which she appeared was on April 17, when the -captain offered her aid to the Chief Constructor of the Navy in the -effort of the Admiralty to launch the ironclad Northumberland. The offer -was eagerly accepted, and the launch was accordingly successful. - -The Rob Roy has since departed for a voyage to Norway and Iceland in the -schooner yacht Sappho, whose young owner, Mr. W. F. Lawton, has -promised "to be kind to her." It is intended that a new Rob Roy should -make a voyage next summer with another canoe called the "Robin Hood." - -(_m_) Other pleasant voyages may be suggested for the holiday of the -canoist. One of these might begin with the Thames, and then down the -Severn, along the north coast of Devon, and so by the river Dart to -Plymouth. Another on the Solent, and round the Isle of Wight. The Dee -might be descended by the canoe, and then to the left through the Menai -Straits. Or a longer trip may be made through the Cumberland lakes by -Windermere and the Derwent, or from Edinburgh by the Forth, into the -Clyde, and through the Kyles of Bute to Oban; then along the Caledonian -Canal, until the voyager can get into the Tay for a swift run eastward. - -But why not begin at Gothenburg and pass through the pretty lakes of -Sweden to Stockholm, and then skirt the lovely archipelago of green -isles in the Gulf of Bothnia, until you get to Petersburg? - -For one or other of such tours a fishing-rod and an air rifle, and for -all of them a little dog, would be a great addition to the outfit. - -In some breezy lake of these perhaps, or on some rushing river, the -little Rob Roy may hope to meet the reader's canoe; and when the sun is -setting, and the wavelets ripple sleepily, the pleasures of the paddle -will be known far better than they have been told by the pen. - - -C. A. 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Fcap. cloth, 5_s._ - -** The latter also as a separate publication, forms "Low's -Shilling Guide to the Charities of London." - -Prince Albert's Golden Precepts. _Second Edition_, with Photograph. A -Memorial of the Prince Consort; comprising Maxims and Extracts from -Addresses of His late Royal Highness. Many now for the first time -collected and carefully arranged. With an Index. Royal 16mo. beautifully -printed on toned paper, cloth, gilt edges, 2_s._ 6_d._ - -Our Little Ones in Heaven: Thoughts in Prose and Verse, selected from -the Writings of favourite Authors; with Frontispiece after Sir Joshua -Reynolds. Fcap. 8vo. cloth extra, 3_s._ 6_d._ - - -NEW BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. - -THE GREAT FUN TOY BOOKS: a Series of Eight New One Shilling Story Books -for Young People. By Thomas Hood and Thomas Archer. Each illustrated by -Six of Edward Wehnert's well-known Great Fun Pictures. 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Plain, 5_s._; coloured, 7_s._ 6_d._ - - "_Among all the Christmas bookmen Mr. Charles Bennett ranks - first, for he who best pleases children has the best right to - priority in a notice of Christmas books, and to all his - productions we venture to prefer 'Noodle-doo;' it will make the - youngsters crow again with delight._"--Standard. - -_Also, now ready, same size and price, and full of Illustrations._ - - Great Fun for our Little Friends. By Harriet Myrtle. - More Fun for our Little Friends. By the same Author. - The Book of Blockheads. By Charles Bennett. - The Stories that Little Breeches told. By the same Author. - Mr. Wind and Madame Rain. Illustrated by Charles Bennett. - -Paul Duncan's Little by Little; a Tale for Boys. Edited by Frank -Freeman. With an Illustration by Charles Keene. Fcap. 8vo. cloth 2_s._; -gilt edges, 2_s._ 6_d._ Also, same price, - - Boy Missionary; a Tale for Young People. By Mrs. J. M. Parker. - Difficulties Overcome. 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Fcap. -cloth, Illustrated, 5_s._ - - "_I have to own that I think the heroes of another writer, viz. - 'Leather-Stocking,' 'Uncas,' 'Hard Heart,' 'Tom Coffin,' are - quite the equals of Sir Walter Scott's men;--perhaps - 'Leather-Stocking' is better than any one in Scott's lot._"--W. - M. THACKERAY. - -Child's Play. Illustrated with Sixteen Coloured Drawings by E. V. B., -printed in fac-simile by W. Dickes' process, and ornamented with Initial -Letters. New edition, with India paper tints, royal 8vo. cloth extra, -bevelled cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._ The Original Edition of this work was -published at One Guinea. - -Child's Delight. Forty-two Songs for the Little Ones, with forty-two -Pictures. 1_s._; coloured, 2_s._ 6_d._ - -Goody Platts, and her Two Cats. By Thomas Miller. Fcap. 8vo. cloth, -1_s._ - -Little Blue Hood: a Story for Little People. By Thomas Miller, with -coloured frontispiece. Fcap. 8vo. cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._ - -Mark Willson's First Reader. By the Author of "The Picture Alphabet" and -"The Picture Primer." With 120 Pictures. 1_s._ - -The Picture Alphabet; or Child's First Letter Book. With new and -original Designs. 6_d._ - -The Picture Primer. 6_d._ - - -HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. - -The Conspiracy of Count Fieschi: an Episode in Italian History. By M. De -Celesia. Translated by David Hilton, Esq., Author of a "History of -Brigandage." With Portrait. 8vo. - - [_Shortly._ - -A Biography of Admiral Sir B. P. V. Broke, Bart., K.C.B. By the Rev. -John Brighton, Rector of Kent Town. Dedicated by express permission to -His Royal Highness Prince Alfred. - - [_Shortly._ - -A History of Brigandage in Italy; with Adventures of the more celebrated -Brigands. By David Hilton, Esq. 2 vols, post 8vo. cloth, 16_s._ - -A History of the Gipsies, with Specimens of the Gipsy Language. By -Walter Simson. Post 8vo. - -A History of West Point, the United States Military Academy and its -Military Importance. By Capt. E. C. Boynton, A. M. 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With a Map. Price 7_s._ -6_d._ cloth extra. Forming the cheapest and most popular Edition of a -work on Arctic Life and Exploration ever published. - - "_This is a very remarkable book, and unless we very much - misunderstand both him and his book, the author is one of those - men of whom great nations do well to be proud._"--Spectator. - - "_If Capt. Hall should survive the perils of the journey on - which he is now engaged, we are convinced he will bring home - some news, be it good or bad, about the Franklin expedition. He - can hardly be expected back before the autumn of 1866. But if - he has gone he has left us his vastly entertaining volumes, - which contain much valuable information, as we have said, - concerning the Esquimaux tribes. These volumes are the best - that we have ever met with, concerning the people and things to - be found among 'the thick ribb'd ice.'_"--Standard. - - "_The pen of Wilkie Collins would fail to describe in more - life-like terms of horror the episode of the cannibal crew - escaped from a whaler who boarded the 'George Henry' on the - outward passage of that ship. We are tempted to relate how an - Innuit throws a summersault in the water in his_ kyack, _boat - and all, and to introduce our readers to our Author's dogs, - including the famous Barbekerk; but we must pause, and refer to - this most interesting work itself, which will repay - perusal._"--Press. - -A Winter in Algeria, 1863-4. By Mrs. George Albert Rogers. With -illustrations. 8vo. cloth, 12_s._ - -Ten Days in a French Parsonage. By Rev. G. M. Musgrave. 2 vols. post -8vo. 16_s._ - -Turkey. By J. Lewis Farley, F.S.S., Author of "Two Years in Syria." 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Post 8vo. cloth extra, 8_s._ 6_d._; cheap edition, small -post 8vo. 5_s._ - -_This edition, as well as its immediate predecessor, includes all the -researches and observations of the last three years, and is copyright in -England and on the Continent._ - - "We err greatly if Lieut. Maury's book will not hereafter be - classed with the works of the great men who have taken the lead - in extending and improving knowledge and art; his book displays - in a remarkable degree, like the 'Advancement of Learning,' and - the 'Natural History' of Buffon, profound research and - magnificent imagination."--_Illustrated London News._ - -The Structure of Animal Life. By Louis Agassiz. With 46 Diagrams. 8vo. -cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -The Kedge Anchor; or, Young Sailor's Assistant, by William Brady. -Seventy Illustrations. 8vo. 16_s._ - -Theory of the Winds, by Capt. Charles Wilkes. 8vo. cl. 8_s._ 6_d._ - -Archaia; or, Studies of the Cosmogony and Natural History of the Hebrew -Scriptures. By Professor Dawson, Principal of McGill College, Canada. -Post 8vo. cloth, cheaper edition, 6_s._ - -Ichnographs, from the Sandstone of the Connecticut River, Massachusetts, -U. S. A. By James Dean, M.D. One volume, 4to. with Forty-six Plates, -cloth, 27_s._ - -The Recent Progress of Astronomy, by Elias Loomis, LL.D. 3rd Edition. -Post 8vo. 7_s._ 6_d._ - -An Introduction to Practical Astronomy, by the Same. 8vo. cloth. 8_s._ - -Manual of Mineralogy, including Observations on Mines, Rocks, Reduction -of Ores, and the Application of the Science to the Arts, with 260 -Illustrations. Designed for the Use of Schools and Colleges. By James D. -Dana, A.M., Author of a "System of Mineralogy." New Edition, revised and -enlarged. 12mo. Half bound, 7_s._ 6_d._ - -The Ocean Telegraph Cable; its Construction, &c. and Submersion -Explained. By W. Rowett. 8vo. cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._ - -Cyclopĉdia of Mathematical Science, by Davies and Peck. 8vo. Sheep. -18_s._ - - -TRADE, AGRICULTURE, DOMESTIC ECONOMY, ETC. - -Railway Practice, European and American; comprising the economical -generation of Steam, the adaptation of Wood and Coke-burning Engines to -Coal Burning, and in Permanent Way, including Road-bed, Sleepers, Rails, -Joint-fastenings, Street Railways, &c. By Alexander L. Holley, Joint -Author of Colburn and Holley's "Permanent Way," &c. Demy folio, with 77 -Engravings, half-morocco. 3_l._ 3_s._ - -Hunt's Merchants' Magazine (Monthly). 2_s._ 6_d._ - -The Book of Farm Implements, and their Construction; by John L. Thomas. -With 200 Illustrations. 12mo. 6_s._ 6_d._ - -The Practical Surveyor's Guide; by A. Duncan. Fcp. 8vo. 4_s._ 6_d._ - -Villas and Cottages; by Calvert Vaux, Architect. 300 Illustrations. 8vo. -cloth. 12_s._ - -Bee-Keeping. By "The Times" Bee-master. Small post 8vo. numerous -Illustrations, cloth, 5_s._ - - "_The Bee-master has done a good work, which outweighs a - cartload of mistakes, in giving an impetus to bee-keeping - throughout the country. Here is a simple and graceful - amusement, which is also a profitable one. The keeping of bees - needs no great skill and but a small outlay. The result, - however, besides the amusement which it affords is a store of - honey that in the present state of the market may make a - considerable addition to the income of a poor cotter, and may - even be worthy the ambition of an underpaid curate or a - lieutenant on half-pay._"--Times, Jan. 11, 1865. - -The English and Australian Cookery Book. Small post 8vo. Coloured -Illustrations, cloth extra, 4_s._ 6_d._ - -The Bubbles of Finance: the Revelations of a City Man. Fcap. 8vo. fancy -boards, price 2_s._ 6_d._ - - _The_ Times _of May 21st in a leading article referring to the - above work, says:_--"_We advise our young friends to read some - amusing chapters on 'accommodation' and 'borrowing' which have - appeared within the last two months in Mr. Charles Dickens's_ - All the Year Round." - -Coffee: A Treatise on its Nature and Cultivation. With some remarks on -the management and purchase of Coffee Estates. By Arthur R. W. -Lascelles. Post 8vo. cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._ - -The Railway Freighter's Guide. Defining mutual liabilities of Carriers -and Freighters, and explaining system of rates, accounts, invoices, -checks, booking, and permits, and all other details pertaining to -traffic management, as sanctioned by Acts of Parliament, Bye-laws, and -General Usage. By J. S. Martin. 12mo. Cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._ - - -THEOLOGY. - -The Land and the Book, or Biblical Illustrations drawn from the Manners -and Customs, the Scenes and the Scenery of the Holy Land, by W. M. -Thomson, M.D., twenty-five years a Missionary in Syria and Palestine. -With 3 Maps and several hundred Illustrations. 2 vols. Post 8vo. cloth. -1_l._ 1_s._ - -Missionary Geography for the use of Teachers and Missionary Collectors. -Fcap. 8vo. with numerous maps and illustrations, 3_s._ 6_d._ - -A Topographical Picture of Ancient Jerusalem; beautifully coloured. Nine -feet by six feet, on rollers, varnished. 3_l._ 3_s._ - -Nature and the Supernatural. By Horace Bushnell, D.D. One vol. New -Edition. Post 8vo. cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._ Also by the same Author. - - Dr. Bushnell's Christian Nurture. 1_s._ 6_d._ - Dr. Bushnell's Character of Jesus. 6_d._ - Dr. Bushnell's New Life. 1_s._ 6_d._ - Dr. Bushnell's Work and Play. 2_s._ 6_d._ - -Five Years' Prayer, with the Answers: comprising recent Narratives and -Incidents in America, Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, &c. By D. -Samuel Irenĉus Prime. 12mo. cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._; and a Cheap Edition, -price 1_s._ Also by the same Author. - - The Power of Prayer. 12mo. cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._ - -The Light of the World: a most True Relation of a Pilgrimess travelling -towards Eternity. Divided into Three Parts; which deserve to be read, -understood, and considered by all who desire to be saved. Reprinted from -the edition of 1696. Beautifully printed by Clay on toned paper. Crown -8vo. pp. 593, bevelled boards, 10_s._ 6_d._ - -A Short Method of Prayer; an Analysis of a Work so entitled by Madame de -la Mothe-Guyon; by Thomas C. 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