Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-07-17

r. 49,
panies, and wandered about at will, b'
keeping within the vicinity of the cam
until the horn sounded for dinner. "
were all, as is usual at pic-nics, in hui
CRY mood, and we did not dine minclngl
CATER dinner we lolled about on tt
grass for awhile, then formed plans for til
afternoons campaign. There were nes
~ several canoes OF row-boats that wei
kept for hire, ana fair proportional OF
band decided in favor of ar t excursion li Q
the lake, some parties going in one difet
ton, some in another. The boats woul'
Z accommodate only four persons each, tn
rowers and two others. Three boat-loads
twelve individuals in all, determined t
4 pay visit to the tower on the opposit
3 shore of the lake, and about three mile
farther up. AS we divided ourselves int
parties of four, felt an irrepressible de
4 sire5o have Harry Nane, who~had declared
for the tower, in our boat, 50 called out
"sHarry, are you coming with us
meaning by us, Downs and myself.
81 shall never forget the look of mingled
pain and pleasure with which he replied
No, Charlotte; George Law is quartere(
in your boat.
cit was half-past three O'Clock when W.
landed near the tower and drew the boats
up on the beach. This tower was an octa
gon building three or four stories i'll height
consisting of only one room to each story
with a narrow spiral staircase leading from
base to summit At the top was an OBJ
servatory not much larger than a good
sized bird-cage, which had once been fur
nished with small telescope mounted on
a swivel, but was now reduced to a very
commonplace spy-glass. The basement
was a deep, dungeon-like hole, with a
grated door through which one entered a
subetrrenean passage leading out to the
shore Of the lake. This tower, with its
lean-to kitchen, OF, rather, cook-house.
was built on a hill at the distance Of about
| two hundred yards from the waters edge,
and was the product Of Quixotic Eng
lishman. an old bachelors fancy. The
| whimsical man did not carry out his origi-
nal intention Of making a complete minia-
| tufe castle of the feudal times, but sud-
/ denly abandoned the enterprise and went
as he came, nobody knew whittier. This
odd little tower had been surrounded on
all sides, save the deep bank next the
water, by diminutive moat. which was
| now dry ditch filled with weeds and wild
flowers; there, too, was the wreck OF a
toy-like drawbridge, and within the in
closure were several quaint-looking gar
den-chairs cut into the stumps of trees
There was family residing in the house,
at least they made it an occasional resi-
dence during the summer, but that day
they were absent and the garrulous old
servant in charge showed us over the
premises.
eve stole down by the light of a lantern
through the underground passages to the
opening on the lake; we climbed the steep
stairs and peeped through the old spy-glass;
sat in the grotesque chairs, and gathered
bouquets from the quondam moat. All
these vagaries consumed SO much time
that, before we were aware, the sun was
going down the westward slope IN a way
that, when we noticed it, sent us to our
boats with speed. We were soon gliding
over the water in jovial spirits and at d
fair rate of motion toward the camping
place on the shore next home. The three
boats kept near together, and as we went
we sang Tom Moore's Canadian boat-song.
Just as our voices were ringing out
s.sRow brothers, row, for the stream runs fast,
The rapids are near and the daylight is past.
sudden breeze almost took the light UNI
brella with which [ WAS screening myself
and companion from sun and wind 1--WE had
left our bonnets at the camp out OF my
hand. The breeze subsidized for a moment,
then came again more vigorously than be
fore, and held on steadily. Generally Oh
frequently stiff breeze rises on those lakes
about OF soon after sunset, but now the
sun was certainly half an hour high
Sudden squalls, especially when thunder
clouds are lowering near, accompanied by
| dangerous disturbance Of the water. are
unpleasantly often the concomltants OF
| boating on those shallow lakes.
| ssLooking around the horizon we discov-
cred the cause of the suddenly rising wind
A heavy pile of black clouds coming uI
behind lis in the northwest were spreading
themselves along the northern horizon and
extending upward almost 10 the zenith
and at the same time we began to hear the
thunder mutter and see the lightning play
though not very near. The weather-Wlst
ones Of our party said the shower was
spending itself north of us, but we might
get sprinkling from it's skirts, and The
wind was sure to be troublesome.
! meanwhile we had crossed the lake
and were making our way down to thu
landing adjoining, which was our camp
keeping close in shore to avoid the commo
ton Of the water.
ssThere is a popularity in that lake.
The wild rice, from which it takes it
name, grows over almost the entire bot
tom of the basin, and when atsits TALES
the grain lies floating on the surface o
the water, and the Indians, when it is ripe
paddle round and gather it into thei
canoes. This, however, makes navigator
to ordinary .rowers rather difficult; an
where the basin is particularly shallow 0
when the waters are agitated by storm
the passage is perilous.
II soon perceived that Downs and Georg
Law were by no means masters OF the SIT
uation and oh, how I longed for the trie
and trusty arm of Harry Vane to stee
our giddy little skiff. Just then Harry !
who was ahead, called out to us to max
for an islet, a little way out in the lake
on one side of which there was not lnuc
rice, and which had been used by the Ii
dams as landing place, as it sloped gra6
ually into the water; he said we had bette