The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1875-09-22

sad, sweet memories. - -. -
: They glmmer down the moons long beams,
They rustic in the waters free,
; They fade in the moonight's melting dream,
And slide in starlight down to me.
Long, long, lay dreaming thus. [
seemed to see with apoct's eyes and
hear with a poets ears, and a music,
subtle, ethereal. sweet, seemed breathed
in ti1ful melody throughout the bound
less universe. 49,.
All! would that life accre but q
Dream" and Ill joys as calm as dream
joys are. -...... ... ...,.--. .-
This morning were ont on deck just
as the sun was casting his first rays over
tic grey earth, tinting the air and sky
with bright rose flush. The boat was
lust entering that part of the river where
the first one of the Thousand Islands
stands an cffeminate guard over her
sisters who lay sleeping for miles down
the river. The river spreads itself here
to the width Of - miles and is dotted
with islands as thickly as the heavens
with stars. If one were floating there
in the blue ether rs far up in the heav-
ems as the white summer clouds, he
might realize the width of the river and
the number of islands. On earth we
have as little conception of the fact as
we have that the sun is a prominent
member of the milky Way"
Some six or seven is all that show
themselves at once, and the first so like
the others that you could fancy them
sailing along down with you, besides
which you are perpetually confounding
the largest or the farthest with the shore,
and so circumscribing things still more.
Though you have counted vaguely on
qetting a bird's-eye view of the whole
thousand at one glance, and thus being
able to verify the account, you are some
how not disappointed. The trim little
islets look so fresh in their green tunics
of cedar and juniper that you can no
more find fault with them than with a
Gill in her first ball dress.
We received on board at Clayton a
large crowd of tourists, all agog for
scenery, and the scramble for chairs
next to the railing on the forward deck
was something appalling. Oh! sneh
chattering. 1.-The Islands," THE St.
Lawrence, - ''The Adirondack" ""Mon-
treal," "Quebec," ''White Mountains"
nHalifax," "Will it rain?" "Will it
shine?" ''Will it be foggy?" "shall we
change boats?" Where is my water
proof?'-a charming ola podrida. It
was one of those Shady, quiet days
most favorable for spending upon the
water, and the baby islands each in its
| best bib and tucker "showed off to ad-
vantage" remarkably we'll. The great
river here has worn its many channels
through bed Of solid rock and has
exposed to view, as it were, the grey
hairs of this, our old, old world, (and
bald head.-ED)
|: At Brockville, which looks like an
ancient Old World town, we parted
with the islands with something of the
|reeretftll relief with which one puts the
habies to bed of an evening. Prescott,
Ogdensburg, then the rapids Che rapids
I:start five miles below PrescotD; CHM
nev Island is passed; the "Captin"
climbs I'D the front of the wheel house,
a keen, grey-haired sailor takes the
| steerman's place and four lusty fellows
man the wheel; everybody draws near
the railing. The steam Is shut ott and
the vessel seems to pause q moment to
gather strength, while a death-like ST.
Hence pervades the crowl as the first
"slap'' of the breakers is felt upon the
prov, but "Long Sault" is not what we
expected. We are not sliding down an
incipient waterfall, but are buffeting
with stormy sea. The wind howls in
the rigging, great waves rise up and
Ebreak upon the vessel, dashing their
binding spray into our very faces,
while the war Of the surging waters
browns every sound. No one speaks; :;
no one even breathes, until suddenly
we hear scream, every one then in
stinctively loosens tension; the spell
is broken and every one is relieved.
The boat tosses on down the rapids
amid q chorus Of cXclamations, Mag
nifcent! Glorious! Splendid! Fearful!
&C., &c., &c.
Placid lake. St. George seems very
tame and tedious after the perils Of the
"Sault." The Colean, the Cedars and
the Cascades I'LL come iii due order.
Every one is delighted, but no one dumb
founded, there is little humor to be
sure at the sight Of the steamer
"Grecian" lying upon the rocks of the
Cedars, and a devout hope expressed as
! the s.Champion" tumbles down that tu-
multuous stairway that she may not
meet with a like fate. The "Champion"
is an hour late at Kinston; the rosy sun
set clouds which are piling themselves
| so complacently above the blue mirror
of Lake St. Louis are all very lovely,
but strike us as little premature, and
an ominous fog is gathering in the dim
distance where the Royal Mountain
rears its lofty head. Watches are here
anxiously consulted, distance computed,
and the captain nearly teased to death.
:: Everything depends upon the fog,
Madam" ''Pray for breeze, Miss if
YOU wish to 60 through" were some of
| The answers to the many inquiries as to
whether we would have to turn off into
the canal or 60 through the rapids. We
pass Caughnawaga and the canal, and
steam on. We take on an Indian pilot;
| the steam is again shut off, again we
| hear the first 'sslap'' of the wheel; again
| the breakers roar, only with a greater
| force and louder noise. Truly the ex-
citement of the passage is fully equal to
the most sanguine expectations: 1t is
a thing once seen-once felt, to be re-
membercd for life time. The calm,
steady figure of the captain, upon whom
the whole responsibility rests, the dark
stolid Indian, with his bead-like eyes
| fixed upon some mysterious point in
view, the earnest. onward look OF the
| man at the wheel, the crowd Of motion
| less passengers, some faces rosy with
| the intoxication Of excitement, some
,,.;+h foo,.. tho GREAT steamer