and into the gloom (which deepefiled momently), and again her shadow fell from her into the ebony water, and became absorbed into its blackness. And again and again she made the circuit of the island (while the sun rushed down to his slumbers), and at each issuing into the light there was more sorrow about her person, while it grew feebler, and far fainter, and more indistinct; and at each passage into the gloom there fell from her a darker shade, which became whelmed in a shadow more black. But at length, when the sun had utterly departed, the Fay, now 10 the mere ghost of her former self, went disconsolately with her boat into the region of the ebony flood-and that she issued thence at all I cannot say, for darkness fell over all things, and I beheld her magical figure no more. FROM MORN TILL NIGHT ON A FLORIDA RIVER SIDNEY LANIER. For a perfect journey God gave us a perfect day. The little Ocklawaha (ock lä wä' hä) steamboat Marion had started on her voyage some hours before daylight. She had taken on her passengers the night previous. By seven o'clock on such a 5 May morning as no words could describe we had made twentyfive miles up the St. Johns. At this point the Ocklawaha flows into the St. Johns, one hundred miles above Jacksonville. Presently we abandoned the broad highway of the St. Johns, and turned off to the right into the narrow lane of the Ockla10 waha. This is the sweetest water-lane in the world, a lane which runs for more than one hundred and fifty miles of pure delight betwixt hedge-rows of oaks and cypresses and palms and magnolias and mosses and vines; a lane clean to travel, for there is never a speck of dust in it save the blue dust and gold dust 15 which the wind blows out of the flags and lilies. As we advanced up the stream our wee craft seemed to emit her steam in leisurely whiffs, as one puffs one's cigar in a contemplative walk through the forest. Dick, the pole-man, lay asleep on the guards, in great peril of rolling into the river 20 over the three inches between his length and the edge; the people of the boat moved not, and spoke not; the white crane, the curlew, the heron, the water-turkey, were scarcely disturbed in their quiet avocations as we passed, and quickly succeeded in persuading themselves after each momentary excitement of our 25 gliding by, that we were really no monster, but only some daydream of a monster. "Look at that snake in the water!" said a gentleman, as we sat on deck with the engineer, just come up from his watch. The engineer smiled. "Sir, it is a water-turkey," he said, 30 gently. The water-turkey is the most preposterous bird within the * For Biography see p. 255. range of ornithology. He is not a bird; he is a neck with such subordinate rights, members, belongings, and heirlooms as seem necessary to that end. He has just enough stomach to arrange nourishment for his neck, just enough wings to fly painfully 5 along with his neck, and just big enough legs to keep his neck from dragging on the ground; and his neck is light-colored, while the rest of him is black. When he saw us he jumped up on a limb and stared. Then suddenly he dropped into the water, sank like a leaden ball out of sight, and made us think 10 he was drowned. Presently the tip of his beak appeared, then the length of his neck lay along the surface of the water. In this position, with his body submerged, he shot out his neck, drew it back, wriggled it, twisted it, twiddled it, and poked it spirally into the east, the west, the north, and the south, round 15 and round with a violence and energy that made one think in the same breath of corkscrews and of lightnings. But what nonsense! All that labor and perilous contortion for a beggarly sprat or a couple of inches of water-snake. Some twenty, miles from the mouth of the Ocklawaha, at 20 the right-hand edge of the stream, is the handsomest residence in America. It belongs to a certain alligator of my acquaintance, a very honest and worthy reptile of good repute. A little cove of water, dark-green under the overhanging leaves, placid and clear, curves round at the river edge into the flags, and 25 lilies, with a curve just heart-breaking for its pure beauty. This house of the alligator is divided into apartments, little bays which are scalloped out by the lily-pads, according to the winding fancies of their growth. My reptile, when he desires to sleep, has but to lie down anywhere; he will find marvellous 30 mosses for his mattress beneath him; his sheets will be white lily-petals; and the green disks of the lily-pads will straightway embroider themselves together above him for his coverlet. He never quarrels with his cook, he is not the slave of a kitchen, and his one house-maid-the stream-forever sweeps his cham bers clean. His conservatories there under the glass of that water are ever, without labor, filled with the enchantments of under-water growths. His parks and nis pleasure-grounds are larger than any 5 king's. Upon my saurian's house the winds have no power, the rains are only a new delight to him, and the snows he will never see. Regarding fire, as he does not use it as a slave, so he does not fear it as a tyrant. Thus all the elements are the friends of my alligator's 10 house. While he sleeps he is being bathed. What glory to awake sweetened and freshened by the sole, careless act of sleep! Lastly, my saurian has unnumbered mansions, and can change his dwelling as no human house-holder may; it is but a flip of his tail, and lo! he is established in another place as good 15 as the last, ready furnished to his liking. ⚫ 20 On and on up the river! We find it a river without banks. The swift, deep current meanders between tall lines of trees; beyond these, on either side, there is water also-a thousand shallow rivulets lapsing past the bases of a multitude of trees. Along the edges of the stream every tree-trunk, sapling, and stump is wrapped about with a close-growing vine. The edges of the stream are also defined by flowers and water-leaves. The tall blue flags, the ineffable lilies sitting on their round lily-pads like white queens on green thrones, the tiny stars and long rib25 bons of the water-grasses-all these border the river in an infinite variety of adornment. And now, after this day of glory, came a night of glory. Deep down in these shaded lanes it was dark indeed as the night drew on. The stream which had been all day a girdle of beauty, 30 blue or green, now became black band of mystery. But presently a brilliant flame flares out overhead: They have lighted the pine-knots, on top of the pilot-house. The fire advances up these dark windings like a brilliant god. The startled birds suddenly flutter into the light and after an instant of illuminated flight melt into the darkness. From the perfect silence of these short flights one derives a certain sense of awe. Now there is a mighty crack and crash: limbs and leaves 5 scrape and scrub along the deck; a little bell tinkles; we stop. In turning a short curve, the boat has run her nose smack into the right bank, and a projecting stump has thrust itself sheer through the starboard side. Out, Dick! Out, Henry! Dick and Henry shuffle forward to the bow, thrust forth their long 10 white pole against a tree-trunk, strain and push and bend to the deck as if they were salaaming the god of night and adver sity. Our bow slowly rounds into the stream, the wheel turns and we puff quietly along. inmay And now it is bed-time. Let me tell you how to sleep on an 15 Ocklawaha steamer in May. With a small bribe persuade Jim, the steward, to take the mattress out of your berth and lay it slanting just along the railing that encloses the lower part of the deck in front and to the left of the pilot-house. Lie flat on your back down on the mattress, draw your blanket over 20 you, put your cap on your head, on account of the night air, fold your arms, say some little prayer or other, and fall asleep with a star looking right down on your eye. When you wake in the morning you will feel as new as Adam.* HELPS TO STUDY. Quote the author's words describ- What gives to this prose selection Find examples of alliteration in Words and Phrases for Discussion. 'day-dream of a monster'' "beggarly sprat' 'range of ornithology" "'ineffable lilies" 'reptile of good repute" "sense of awe" "saurian's house" From "The Lanier Book"; copyright 1904 by Charles Scribner's Sons. |