rimson and yeller. And then a hull lot of evergreens
standin' up straight and tall by the water's edge, and as fur back as
you could see, but sort o' reachin' out their green arms towards the
river. And them on the edge, lookin' down into the clear depths and
seein' there another island, a shadow island layin' beautiful and
serene with nothin' disturbin' its beauty but the shinin' ripples
wavin' the fairy branches below, like the soft wind rustlin' the tree
tops overhead.

So we sailed on by hamlet and town, rounded tree-crowned promontores,
swep' out into broader vistas stretchin' out like a lake, anon goin'
by a big island lookin' like the shore of the mainland, goin' right up
aginst it seemin'ly, as if the boat must strike it and git onto
wheels and travel as a wagon if it calculated to proceed onwards at
all. But jest as we would think in a nautical way: "Land ahoy! land
ahoy! oh, heave out and walk afoot," jest as these nautical terms
would be passin' through our alarmed foretops, the boat would turn its
prow slowly but graceful, round to a port-the-helm, or starboard
ditto, and we would glide out through a narrow way onbeknown to us,
onto a long, glassy road layin' fair and serene ahead.

Then more islands, then more narrer channels, then more broad ones. By
Fiddler's Elbow, named Heaven knows for what purpose, for no fiddle
nor no elbow wuz in sight, nothin' but island and water and rock all
crowned with green verdure. Mebby it dates back to the time we read of
when the stars sung together, and if stars sing, why shouldn't islands
dance, and if islands dance it stands to reason they must have a
fiddle and one on 'em must fiddle. I do not say this _is_ so, but
throw out this scientific theory as one of singular interest to the
antiquarian and historian of the Thousand Islands.

Anon we entered the Lost Channel, agin the antiquarian sperit is
rousted up as we inquire, "When wuz it lost? and how long? And when
wuz it found agin, and who found it?" Way back in the dawn of
creation, did the dimplin' channel git kinder restive and try to run
off by itself, and flow round and act? Or did the big leap down
Niagara skair it so that it run away and never stopped runnin' until
it got all confused and light-headed among these countless islands,
and wandered away and got lost and by the side of itself?

Deep antiquarian conundrums; stern geological interests! In grapplin'
with 'em I leaned over the taff-rail of the boat a