The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-01

and has generally come OF victorious, though
on one occasion he would have been over
powered by numbers if had not gone, to his
assistance. Generally speaking, nothing viii
remove from the rural population an idea
that the caravan forms an exhibition of some
sort When l airily alight and stroll through
a village, sketehbook in hand, have inva-
riably at my heels long attendant train of
all ages, obviously under the impression that
am looking for suitable pitch, and am
going TO perform
''To avoid these and similar inconvenience,
we generally halt for the night in some Sc
cluded spot-some roadside nook or outlying
common. But there is fatal attraction in
the caravan; it seems to draw spectators, as
it were, out of the very bowels of the earth.
No matter how desolate the place we have
chosen, We have scarcely made ourselves
comfortable when an audience gathers, and
stragglers drop in, amazed and open-mouthed,
found it irksome at first to paint in the open
air, with gazing crowd at my back making
audible comments on my work as it pro
gressed; but soon got used to it, and, hav-
ing discovered certain good subjects here
and there among my visitors l take the pub
Lefty now rs p matter of course. Even when
busy inside ) am never astOnished to see
strange noses fattened against the windows
strange faces peeping in at the door. The
human temperament accustoms itself to any
thing
81 begin this record in the Island of Angle
sea, where we have arrived after our fort
nights wanderings in the more mountainous
districts of the mainland. Anglesea, am in
formed, is chiefly famous for its pigs and
its wild ducks. So far as have yet explored
it / find it fat and desolate enough; but ]
have been educated in Irish Landscapes, and
don't object to fatness when combined with
desolation. I like these dreary meadows,
these bleak stretches of melancholy moor
land, these wild lakes and lagoons
"At the present moment am encamped in
spot where in all probability, shall re-
main for days. came upon it quite by &C
cident about midday yesterday, when on my
way to the market town of Pencroes; or,
rather, when / imagined that was going
thither, while had, in reality, after hesitat-
ing at three crossroads, taken the road which
led in exactly the opposite direction. The
way was desolate and dreary beyond meas
ure-stretches of morass and moorland on
| every side, occasionally rising into heathery
knobs or hillocks, or strewed with huge
pieces Of stones ike the moors of Cornwall.
Presently the open moorland ended,
| and we entered region of sandy
| hillocks, sparsely ornamented here and
there with long, harsh grass. If one
could imagine the waves of the ocean, at
some moment of wild agitation, suddenly
| frozen to stiffness, and returning intact these
| tempestuous forms, it would give some idea
of the hillocks am describing. They rose on
every side of the road, completely shutting
| out the view, and their pale, hvid yellow
ness scarcely relieved with a glimpse of
| greennesS, was wearisome and lonely in the
extreme As we advanced among them, the
road we were pursuing grew woN,e and
worse, till it became SO choked and covered
with drifted sand as TO be scarcely rccogniz-
| able, and | need hardly say that it was hard
work for one horse to pull the caravan along.
eve had proceeded in this manner for
some miles, and l was beginning to realize
| the fact that we were out Of our reckoning,
when, suddenly emerging from between two
sandhills, saw a wide stretch Of green mea-
| dow land, and beyond it glorifed piece OF
water. The sun was shining brightly, the
water spaTkled Ike a mirror, calm as glass.
and without breath. As we appeared a
| large heron rose from the spot on the water
side where he had been standing
! Still as a stone, without sound,
Above his dim blue shade
| and sailed leisurely away. Around the lake,
| which was about mile in circumference, the
road ran winding, till it reached the farther
side. where more sandhills begap: but e,
tween these sandhills l caught sparkling
| glimrse of more water, and, guided to my
conclusion by the red sail Of a fishing smack
just gIimmering on the horizon line, l knew
| that farther water was-the sea.
The SPOT had ell the attraction Of com.
plete desolation, combined with the charm
which always, to my mind, pertains to lake>
and lagoons Eager as a boy or looseneC
retriever, | ran across the meadow and found
the grass long and green and sown with in
| Vulnerable crowsfoot flowers: underneath
the green was sand again, but here it glim
mered like gold dust. As reached the sedges
on the lake side teal rose, in full summer
plumage, wheeled swiftly round the lake
then, returning, splashed down boldly anC
swan within a stones throw of the shore
when, peering through the rushes, caught {
| glimpse Of his mate padding anxiously along
with eight little tufts Of down behind her
| Then, Just outside the sedges, saw the colder
shield of water broken by the circles of rising
trout 1t was too much. FASTENED hack 4
the caravan and informed Tim that haC
no intention Of going any farther-that day
| at least.
$50 here we have been since yesterday, anC
up to this, have not set eyes upon a single
soul Such peace and quietress is q forecast,
Of Paradise. As this is TIE most satisfactory
day have Vet spent in my pilgrimage, al
though it bears, at the same time, a family
Likeness to the other days of the past fort
night, | purpose setting down, verbatim
seIiatim, AID chrcnologically, the manner il
which occupied myself from dawn to sun
set.
GA M-Wake, and see that Tim has al
ready Gis4urrNsred. and folded up his ham
mock. Observe tie morning sun looking il
with fresh, CHEEKY countenance at the win
dow. Turn over again with yawn, and G.
to sleep for another five minutes.
'T:l5 A. M.-WRl1e again, ard discover, b
looking at my watch, that, instead Of fv
minutes, have slept an hour anl quarter
Spring up at once, ard slip on shirt an
trousers; then pass out, bsrefooted, into tb
open air. No syn Of Tim, but fire
lighted close to tie caravan, which shadow
it from tie rays If tie morning sun. Stro
down TO tie lake, and throwing off whs
garments ! wear, prepare for bath. CaI
not get out fer SWIM on account Of th
reeds. The bath over, return and finish IN
toilet in the caravan.
''SA M-TiIn has reappeared. He has bee
| right down to The seasn0rp. q walk of RboU
t7Yo niles and half. He informs ne, to N
disgust, that there is some sort Of huma
settlement there, and e Efeboat station. L
has brought back in his baglet, as specimen
of the local products, a dozen new-laid egg
some milk, and loaf Of bread The last,
observe, is in fossil state. / ask who sol
it him. He answers, William Jones.
$3.50 A. M-We breakfast splendidly. Eve