gazing at the canoe with the same air of solemnity they would
have given a corpse. Then one addressed the other, as though the owner
of the craft was entirely out of the hearing of their conversation.

Said No. 1, "And what did I tell ye, Pater?" "And so ye did," replied
No. 2. "And didn't I say so?" continued No. 1. "Of course ye did; and
wasn't me of the same mind, to be sure?" responded No. 2. "Yes, I told
ye as how it is the men of _these_ times is greater than the men of ould
times. There was the great Coolumbus, who came over in three ships to
see Americky. What did he know about _paper_ boats? Nothing at all, at
all. He cum over in big ships, while this young feller has cum all the
way from Canada. I tell ye the men of ould times was not up to the men
of these times. Thin there's Captain Boyton, who don't use any boat or
ship at all, at all, but goes a-_swimming_ in rubber clothes to keep him
dry all over the Atlantic Oshin. Jis' look, man, how he landed on the
shores of ould Ireland not long since. Now what's Coolumbus, or any
other man of the past ages, to him? Coolumbus could not hold a candle to
Boyton! No, I tell ye agen that the men of this age is greater than the
men of the past ages." "And," broke in No. 2, "there's a Britisher who's
gone to the River Niles in a canoe." "The _River Niles_!" hotly
exclaimed No. 1; "don't waste your breath on that thing. It's no _new_
thing at all, at all. It was diskivered a long time ago, and nobody
cares a fig for it now." "Yet," responded No. 2, "some of those
old-times people were very enterprising. There was that great traveller
Robinson Crusoe: ye must confess he was a great man for _his_ time."
"The same who wint to the South Sea Islands and settled there?" asked
the first biographer. "The _very same man_," replied No. 2, with
animation.

This instructive conversation was here interrupted by a party of ladies
and gentlemen, who in turn gave their views of canoe and canoeist.

CHAPTER XIII.

FROM THE SAVANNAH RIVER TO FLORIDA.

ROUTE TO THE SEA ISLANDS OF GEORGIA.--STORM-BOUND ON GREEN
ISLAND.--OSSABAW ISLAND.--ST. CATHERINE'S SOUND.--SAPELO ISLAND.--THE
MUD OF MUD RIVER.--NIGHT IN A NEGRO CABIN.--"DE SHOUTINGS" ON DOBOY
ISLAND.--BROUGHTON ISLAND.--ST. SIMON'S AND JEKYL ISLANDS.--INTERVIEW
WITH AN ALLIGATOR.--A NIGHT IN JOINTER HAMMOCK.--CUMBERLAND ISLAND AND
ST. MARY'S RIVER.--FAREWELL TO THE SEA.

On February 24th, the voyage was again resumed. My ro