He started up, each limb convulsed
With agonizing fear,
He only heard the storm of night--
'Twas music to his ear.
_Lord William_.
Away we went! Guert's aim was the islands, which carried him nearer home,
while it offered a place of retreat, in the event of the danger's becoming
more serious. The fierce rapidity with which we now moved prevented all
conversation, or even much reflection. The reports of the rending ice,
however, became more and more frequent, first coming from above, and then
from below. More than once it seemed as if the immense mass of weight that
had evidently collected somewhere near the town of Albany, was about to
pour down upon us in a flood--when the river would have been swept for
miles, by a resistless torrent. Nevertheless, Guert held on his way;
firstly, because he knew it would be impossible to get on either of the
main shores, anywhere near the point where we happened to be; and secondly,
because, having often seen similar dammings of the waters, he fancied
we were still safe. That the distant reader may understand the precise
character of the danger we ran, it may be well to give him some notion of
the localities.
The banks of the Hudson are generally high and precipitous, and in some
places they are mountainous. No flats worthy of being mentioned, occur,
until Albany is approached; nor are those which lie south of that town, of
any great extent, compared with the size of the stream. In this particular
the Mohawk is a very different river, having extensive flats that, I have
been told, resemble those of the Rhine, in miniature. As for the Hudson,
it is generally esteemed in the colony as a very pleasing river; and I
remember to have heard intelligent people from home, admit, that even the
majestic Thames itself, is scarcely more worthy to be visited, or that it
better rewards the trouble and curiosity of the enlightened traveller. [26]
While there are flats on the shores of the Hudson, and of some extent, in
the vicinity of Albany, the general formation of the adjacent country is
preserved,--being high, bold, and in some quarters, more particularly to
the northward and eastward, mountainous. Among these hills the stream
meanders for sixty or eighty miles north of the town, receiving tributaries
as it comes rushing down towards the sea. The character of the river
changes entirely, a short distance above Albany; the tides flowing to that
point, rendering it navigable, and easy of ascent in summer, all the way
from the sea. Of the tributaries, the principal is the Mohawk, which runs
a long distance towards the west--they tell me, for I have never visited
these remote parts of the colony--among fertile plains, that are bounded
north and south by precipitous highlands. Now, in the spring, when the vast
quantities of snow, that frequently lie four feet deep in the forests, and
among the mountains and valleys of the interior, are suddenly melted by the
south winds and rains, freshets necessarily succeed, which have been known
to do great injury. The flats of the Mohawk, they tell me, are annually
overflown, and a moderate freshet is deemed a blessing; but, occasionally,
a union of the causes I have mentioned, produces a species of deluge that
has a very opposite character. Thus it is, that houses are swept away;
and bridges from the smaller mountain streams, have been known, to come
floating past the wharves of Albany, holding their way towards the ocean.
At such times the tides produce no counter-current; for it is a usual
thing, in the early months of the spring, to have the stream pour downwards
for weeks, the whole length of the river, and to find the water fresh even
as low as New York.
Such was the general nature of the calamity we had been so unexpectedly
made to encounter. The winter had been severe, and the snows unusually
deep; and, as we drove furiously onward, I remembered to have heard
my grandfather predict extraordinary freshets in the spring, from the
character of the winter, as we had found it, even previously to my quitting
home. The great thaw, and the heavy rains of the late storm, had produced
the usual effect; and the waters thus let loose, among the distant, as
well as the nearer hills, were now pouring down upon us in their collected
might. In such cases, the first effect is, to loosen the ice from the
shores; and, local causes forcing it to give way at particular points, a
breaking up of its surface occurs, and dams are formed that set the stream
back in floods upon all the adjacent low land, such as the flats in the
vicinity of Albany.
We did not then know it, but, at the very moment Guert was thus urging
his blacks to supernatural efforts--actually running them as if on a
race-course--there was a long reach of the Hudson, opposite to, for a short
distance below, and for a considerable distance above the town, which was
quite clear of stationary ice. Vast cakes continued to come down, it is
true, passing on to increase the dam that had formed below, near and on
the Overslaugh, where it was buttressed by the islands, and rested on the
bottom; but the whole of that firm field, on which we had first driven
forth that morning, had disappeared! This we did not know at the time, or
it might have changed the direction of Guert's movements; but I learned it
afterwards, when placed in a situation to inquire into the causes of what
had occurred.
Herman Mordaunt's bells, and the rumbling sound of his runners, were heard
close behind us, as our own sleigh flew along the river at a rate that I
firmly believe could not have been much less than that of twenty miles in
the hour. As we were whirled northward, the reports made by the rending of
the ice increased in frequency and force. They really became appalling!
Still, the girls continued silent, maintaining their self-command in a most
admirable manner; though I doubt not that they felt, in the fullest extent,
the true character of the awful circumstances in which we were placed. Such
was the state of things, as Guert's blacks began sensibly to relax in their
speed, for want of wind. They still galloped on, but it was no longer with
the swiftness of the wind; and their master became sensible of the folly of
hoping to reach the town ere the catastrophe should arrive. He reined in
his panting horses, therefore, and was just falling into a trot, as a
violent report was heard directly in our front. At the next instant the ice
rose, positively, beneath our horses' hoofs, to the height of several feet,
taking the form of the roof of a house. It was too late to retreat, and
Guert shouting out “Jack”--“Moses,” applied the whip, and the spirited
animals actually went over the mound, leaping a crack three feet in width,
and reaching the level ice beyond. All this was done, as it might be, in
the twinkling of an eye. While the sleigh flew over this ridge, it was with
difficulty I held the girls in their seats; though Guert stood nobly erect,
like the pine that is too firmly rooted to yield to the tempest. No sooner
was the danger passed, however, than he pulled up, and came to a dead halt.
We heard the bells of Herman Mordaunt's sleigh, on the other side of the
barrier, but could see nothing. The broken cakes, pressed upon by millions
of tons weight above, had risen fully ten feet, into an inclination that
was nearly perpendicular; rendering crossing it next to impossible, even to
one a-foot. Then came Herman Mordaunt's voice, filled with paternal agony,
and human grief, to increase the awe of that dreadful moment!
“Shore!--shore!--” he shouted, or rather yelled--“In the name of a
righteous Providence, to the shore, Guert!”
The bells passed off towards the western bank, and the rumbling of the
runners accompanied their sound. That was a breathless moment to us four.
We heard the rending and grinding of the ice, on all sides of us; saw
the broken barriers behind and in front; heard the jingling of Herman
Mordaunt's bells, as it became more and more distant, and finally ceased;
and felt as if we were cut off from the rest of our species. I do not think
either of us felt any apprehension of breaking through; for use had so
accustomed us to the field of the river, while the more appalling grounds
of alarm were so evident, that no one thought of such a source of danger.
Nor was there much, in truth, to apprehend from that cause. The thaw had
not lasted long enough materially to diminish either the thickness or the
tenacity of the common river ice; though it was found unequal to resisting
the enormous pressure that bore upon it from above. It is probable that
a cake of an acre's size would have upheld, not only ourselves, but our
sleigh and horses, and carried us, like a raft, down the stream; had there
been such a cake, free from stationary impediments. Even the girls now
comprehended the danger, which was in a manner suspended over us,--as the
impending wreath of snow menaces the fall of the _avalanche_. But, it was
no moment for indecision or inaction.
Cut off, as we were, by an impassable barrier of ice, from the route taken
by Herman Mordaunt, it was necessary to come to some resolution on our own
course. We had the choice of endeavouring to pass to the western shore,
on the upper side of the barrier, or of proceeding towards the nearest of
several low islands which lay in the opposite direction. Guert determined
on the last, walking his horses to the point of land, there being no
apparent necessity for haste, while the animals greatly needed breath. As
we went along, he explained to us that the fissure below cut us off from
the only point where landing on the western shore could be practicable. At
the same time, he put in practice a pious fraud, which had an excellent
effect on the feelings and conduct of both the girls, throughout the
remainder of the trying scenes of that fearful night; more especially on
those of Anneke. He dwelt on the good fortune of Herman Mordaunt, in being
on the right side of the barrier that separated the sleighs, in a way to
induce those who did not penetrate his motive, to fancy the rest of the
party was in a place of security, as the consequence of this accident. Thus
did Anneke believe her father safe, and thus was she relieved from much
agonizing doubt.
As soon as the sleigh came near the point of the island, Guert gave me the
reins, and went ahead to examine whether it were possible to land. He was
absent fifteen minutes; returning to us only after he had made a thorough
search into the condition of the island, as well as of that of the ice in
its eastern channel. These were fifteen fearful minutes; the rending of the
masses above, and the grinding of cake on cake, sounding like the roar of
the ocean in a tempest. Notwithstanding all the awful accessories of this
dreadful night, I could not but admire Guert's coolness of manner, and his
admirable conduct. He was more than resolute; for he was cool, collected,
and retained the use of all his faculties in perfection. As plausible as it
might seem, to one less observant and clear-headed, to attempt escaping to
the western shore, Guert had decided right in moving towards the island.
The grinding of the ice, in another quarter, had apprised him that the
water was forcing its way through, near the main land; and that escape
would be nearly hopeless, on that side of the river. When he rejoined us,
he called me to the heads of the horses, for a conference; first solemnly
assuring our precious companions that there were no grounds for immediate
apprehension. Mary Wallace anxiously asked him to repeat this to _her_, on
the faith due from man to woman; and he did it; when I was permitted to
join him without further opposition.
“Corny,” said Guert, in a low tone, “Providence has punished me for my
wicked wish of seeing Mary Wallace in the claws of lions; for all the
savage beasts of the Old World, could hardly make our case more desperate
than it now is. We must be cool, however, and preserve the girls or die
like men.”
“Our fates are, and must be, the same. Do you devote yourself to Mary, and
leave Anneke to me. But, why this language; surely, our case is by no means
so desperate.”
“It might not be so difficult for two active, vigorous young men to get
ashore; but it would be different with females. The ice is in motion all
around us; and the cakes are piling and grinding on each other in a most
fearful manner. Were it light enough to see, we should do much better; but,
as it is, I dare not trust Mary Wallace any distance from this island,
at present. We may be compelled to pass the night here, and must make
provision accordingly. You hear the ice grinding on the shore; a sign that
everything is going down stream.--God send that the waters break through,
ere long; though they may sweep all before them, when they do come. I fear
me, Corny, that Herman Mordaunt and his party are lost!”
“Merciful Providence!--can it be as bad as that!--I rather hope they have
reached the land.”
“_That_ is impossible, on the course they took. Even a man would be
bewildered and swept away, in the torrent that is driving down under the
west shore. It is that vent to the water, which saves us. But, no more
words.--You now understand the extent of the danger, and will know what
you are about. We must get our precious charge on the island, if possible,
without further delay. Half an hour--nay, half a minute may bring down the
torrent.”
Guert took the direction of everything. Even while we had been talking, the
ice had moved materially; and we found ourselves fifty feet further from
the island than we had been. By causing the horses to advance, this
distance was soon recovered; but it was found impossible to lead or drive
them over the broken cakes with which the shore of the island now began to
be lined. After one or two spirited and determined efforts, Guert gave the
matter up, and asked me to help the ladies from the sleigh. Never did women
behave better, than did these delicate and lovely girls, on an occasion so
awfully trying. Without remonstrances, tears, exclamations or questions,
both did as desired; and I cannot express the feeling of security I felt,
when I had helped each over the broken and grinding border of white ice,
that separated us from the shore. The night was far from cold; but the
ground was now frozen sufficiently to prevent any unpleasant consequences
from walking on what would otherwise have been a slimy, muddy alluvion; for
the island was so very low, as often to be under water, when the river was
particularly high. This, indeed, formed our danger, after we had reached
it.
When I returned to Guert, I found him already drifted down some little
distance; and this time we moved the sleigh so much above the point, as
to be in less danger of getting out of sight of our precious wards. To my
surprise, Guert was busy in stripping the harness from the horses, and Jack
already stood only in his blinkers. Moses was soon reduced to the same
state. I was wondering what was to be done next, when Guert drew each
bridle from its animal, and gave a smart crack of his whip. The liberated
horses started back with affright--snorted, reared, and, turning away, they
went down the river, free as air, and almost as swift; the incessant and
loud snapping of heir master's whip, in no degree tending to diminish their
speed. I asked the meaning of this.
“It would be cruel not to let the poor beasts make use of the strength
and sagacity nature has given them to save their lives,” answered Guert,
straining his eyes after Moses, the horse that was behind, so long as his
dark form could be distinguished, and leaning forward to listen to the
blows of their hoofs, while the noises around us permitted them to be
heard. “To us, they would only be an encumbrance, since they never could
be forced over the cracks and caked ice in harness; nor would it be at all
safe to follow them, if they could. The sleigh is light, and we are strong
enough to shove it to land, when there is an opportunity; or, it may be
left on the island.”
Nothing could have served more effectually to convince me of the manner in
which Guert regarded our situation, than to see him turn loose beasts which
I knew he so highly prized. I mentioned this; and he answered me with a
melancholy seriousness, that made the impression so much the stronger--
“It is possible they may get ashore, for nature has given a horse a keen
instinct. They can swim, too, where you and I would drown. At all events,
they are not fettered with harness, but have every chance it is in my power
to give them. Should they land, any farmer would put them in his stable,
and I should soon hear where they were to be found; if, indeed, I am living
in the morning to make the inquiry.”
“What is next to be done, Guert?” I asked, understanding at once both his
feelings and his manner of reasoning.
“We must now run the sleigh on the island; after which it will be time to
look about us, and to examine if it be possible to get the ladies on the
main land.”
Accordingly, Guert and I applied ourselves to the task, and had no great
difficulty in dragging the sleigh over the cakes, grinding and in motion as
they were. We pulled it as far as the tree beneath which Anneke and Mary
stood; when the ladies got into it and took their seats, enveloped in the
skins. The night was not cold for the season, and our companions were
thickly clad, having tippets and muffs, still, the wolves' skins of Guert
contributed to render them more comfortable. All apprehension of immediate
danger now ceased, for a short time; nor do I think either of the females
fancied they could run any more risk, beyond that of exposure to the night
air, so long as they remained on _terra firma_. Such was not the case,
however, as a very simple explanation will render apparent to the reader.
All the islands in this part of the Hudson are low, being rich, alluvial
meadows, bordered by trees and bushes; most of the first being willows,
sycamores, or nuts. The fertility of the soil had given to these trees
rapid growths, and they were generally of some stature; though not one
among them had that great size which ought to mark the body and branches of
a venerable tenant of the forest. This fact, of itself, proved that no one
tree of them all was _very_ old; a circumstance that was certainly owing to
the ravages of the annual freshets. I say annual; for though the freshet
which now encompassed us, was far more serious than usual, each year
brought something of the sort; and the islands were constantly increasing
or diminishing under their action. To prevent the last, a thicket of trees
was left at the head of each island, to form a sort of barricade against
the inroads of the ice in the spring. So low was the face of the land,
or meadow, however, that a rise of a very few feet in the river would
be certain to bring it entirely under water. All this will be made more
apparent by our own proceedings, after we had placed the ladies in the
sleigh; and more especially, by the passing remarks of Guert while employed
in his subsequent efforts.
No sooner did Guert Ten Eyck believe the ladies to be temporarily safe,
than he proposed to me that we should take a closer look at the state of
the river, in order to ascertain the most feasible means of getting on the
main land. This was said aloud, and in a cheerful way, as if he no longer
felt any apprehension, and, evidently to me, to encourage our companions.
Anneke desired us to go, declaring that now she knew herself to be on dry
land, all her own fears had vanished. We went accordingly, taking our first
direction towards the head of the island.
A very few minutes sufficed to reach the limits of our narrow domain; and,
as we approached them, Guert pointed out to me the mound of ice that was
piling up behind it, as a most fearful symptom.
“_There_ is our danger,” he said, with emphasis, “and we must not trust to
these trees. This freshet goes beyond any I ever saw on the river; and not
a spring passes that we have not more or less of them. Do you not see,
Corny, what saves us now?”
“We are on an island, and cannot be in much danger from the river while we
stay here.”
“Not so, my dear friend, not at all so. But, come with me and look for
yourself.”
I followed Guert, and did look for myself. We sprang upon the cakes of ice,
which were piled quite thirty feet in height, on the head of the island,
extending right and left, as far as our eyes could see, by that misty
light. It was by no means difficult moving about on this massive pile, the
movement in the cakes being slow, and frequently interrupted; but there was
no concealing the true character of the danger. Had not the island, and the
adjacent main interposed their obstacles, the ice would have continued to
move bodily down the stream, cake shoving over cake, until the whole found
vent in the wider space below, and floated off towards the ocean. Not only
was our island there; however, but other islands lay near us, straitening
the different channels or passages in such a way, as to compel the
formation of an icy dam; and, on the strength of this dam rested all our
security. Were it to be ruptured anywhere near us, we should inevitably be
swept off in a body. Guert thought, however, as has been said already, that
the waters had found narrow issues under the main land, both east and west
of us; and should this prove to be true, there was a hope that the great
calamity might be averted. In other words, if these floodgates sufficed, we
_might_ escape; otherwise the catastrophe was certain.
“I cannot excuse it to myself to remain here, without endeavouring to see
what is the state of things nearer to the shore,” said Guert, after we had
viewed the fast accumulating mass of broken ice above us, as well as the
light permitted, and we had talked over together the chances of safety,
and the character of the danger. “Do you return to the ladies, Corny, and
endeavour to keep up their spirits, while I cross this channel on our
right, to the next island, and see what offers in that direction.”
“I do not like the idea of your running all the risk alone; besides,
something may occur to require the strength of two, instead of that of one,
to overcome it.”
“You can go with me as far as the next island, if you will, where we shall
be able to ascertain at once whether it be ice or water that separates us
from the eastern shore. If the first, you can return as fast as possible
for the ladies, while I look for a place to cross. I do not like the
appearance of this dam, to be honest with you; and have great fears for
those who are now in the sleigh.”
We were in the very act of moving away, when a loud, cracking noise, that
arose within a few yards, alarmed us both; and running to the spot whence
it proceeded, we saw that a large willow had snapped in two, like a
pipe-stem, and that the whole barrier of ice was marching, slowly, but
grandly, over the stump, crushing the fallen trunk and branches beneath its
weight, as the slow-moving wheel of the loaded cart crushes the twig. Guert
grasped my arm, and his fingers nearly entered the flesh, under his iron
pressure.
“We must quit this spot--” he said firmly, “and at once. Let us go back to
the sleigh.”
I did not know Guert's intentions, but I saw it was time to act with
decision. We moved swiftly down to the spot where we had left the sleigh;
and the reader will judge of our horror, when we found it gone! The whole
of the low point of the island where we had left it, was already covered
with cakes of ice that were in motion, and which had doubtless swept off
the sleigh during the few minutes that we had been absent! Looking around
us, however, we saw an object on the river, a little distance below, that I
fancied was the sleigh, and was about to rush after it, when a voice filled
with alarm, took us in another direction. Mary Wallace came out from behind
a tree, to which she had fled for safety, and seizing Guert's arm, implored
him not to quit her again.
“Whither has Anneke gone?” I demanded, in an agony I cannot describe--“I
see nothing of Anneke!”
“She would not quit the sleigh,” answered Mary Wallace, almost panting
for breath--“I implored--entreated her to follow me--said you _must_ soon
return; but she refused to quit the sleigh. Anneke is in the sleigh, if
that can now be found.”
I heard no more; but springing on the still moving cakes of ice, went
leaping from cake to cake, until my sight showed me that, sure enough,
the sleigh was on the bed of the river, over which it was in slow motion;
forced downwards before the new coating of ice that was fast covering
the original surface. At first I could see no one in the sleigh; but, on
reaching it, I found Anneke buried in the skins. She was on her knees: the
precious creature was asking succour from God!
I had a wild but sweet consolation in thus finding myself, as it might be,
cut off from all the rest of my kind, in the midst of that scene of gloom
and desolation, alone with Anneke Mordaunt. The moment I could make her
conscious of my presence, she inquired after Mary Wallace, and was much
relieved on learning that she was with Guert, and would not be left by him,
for a single instant, again that night. Indeed, I saw their figures dimly,
as they moved swiftly across the channel that divided the two islands, and
disappear in that direction, among the bushes that lined the place to which
they had gone.
“Let us follow,” I said eagerly. “The crossing is yet easy, and we, too,
may escape to the shore.”
“Go you!” said Anneke, over whom a momentary physical torpor appeared to
have passed. “Go you, Corny,” she said; “a man may easily save himself; and
you are an only child--the sole hope of your parents.”
“Dearest, beloved Anneke!--why this indifference--this apathy on your own
behalf? Are _you_ not an only child, the sole hope of a widowed father?--do
you forget _him?_”
“No, no, no!” exclaimed the dear girl, hurriedly. “Help me out of the
sleigh, Corny: there, I will go with you anywhere--any how--to the end of
the world, to save my father from such anguish!”
From that moment the temporary imbecility of Anneke vanished, and I found
her, for the remainder of the time we remained in jeopardy, quick to
apprehend, and ready to second all my efforts. It was this passing
submission to an imaginary doom, on the one hand, and the headlong effect
of sudden fright on the other, which had separated the two girls, and which
had been the means of dividing the whole party as described.
I scarcely know how to describe what followed. So intense was my
apprehension on behalf of Anneke, that I can safely say, I did not think
of my own fate, in the slightest degree, as disconnected from hers. The
self-devoted reliance with which the dear girl seemed to place all her
dependence on me, would, of itself, have produced this effect, had she not
possessed my whole heart, as I was now so fully aware. Moments like those,
make one alive to all the affections, and strip off every covering that
habit or the dissembling of our manners is so apt to throw over the
feelings. I believe I both spoke and acted towards Anneke, as one would
cling to, or address the being dearest to him in the world, for the next
few minutes; but, I can suppose the reader will naturally prefer learning
what we did, under such circumstances, rather than what we said, or how we
felt.
I repeat, it is not easy for me to describe what followed. I know we first
rather ran, than walked, across the channel on which I had last seen the
dim forms of Guert and Mary, and even crossed the island to its eastern
side, in the hope of being able to reach the shore in that quarter. The
attempt was useless, for we found the water running down over the ice like
a race-way. Nothing could be seen of our late companions; and my loud and
repeated calls to them were unanswered.
“Our case is hopeless, Cornelius,” said Anneke; speaking with a forced
calmness when she found retreat impossible in that direction, “Let us
return to the sleigh, and submit to the will of God!”
“Beloved Anneke!--Think of your father, and summon your whole strength.
The bed of the river is yet firm; we will cross it, and try the opposite
shore.”
Cross it we did, my delicate companion being as much sustained by my
supporting arm, as by her own resolution but we found the same obstacle
to retreat interposing there also. The island above had turned the waters
aside, until they found an outlet under each bank--shooting along their
willowy shores, with the velocity of arrows. By this time, owing to our
hurried movement, I found Anneke so far exhausted, that it was absolutely
necessary to pause a minute to take breath. This pause was also necessary,
in order to look about us, and to decide understandingly as to the course
it was necessary now to pursue. This pause, brief as it was, moreover,
contributed largely to the apparent horrors of our situation.
The grating, or grinding of the ice above us, cake upon cake, now sounded
like the rushing of heavy winds, or the incessant roaring of a surf upon
the sea-shore. The piles were becoming visible, by their height and their
proximity, as the ragged barriers set slowly but steadily down upon us;
and the whole river seemed to me to be in motion downwards. At this awful
instant, when I began to think it was the will of Providence that Anneke
and I were to perish together, a strange sound interrupted the fearful
natural accessories of that frightful scene. I certainly heard the bells
of a sleigh; at first they seemed distant and broken--then, nearer and
incessant, attended by the rumbling of runners on the ice. I took off my
cap and pressed my head, for I feared my brain was unsettled. There it
came, however, more and more distinctly, until the trampling of horses'
hoofs mingled in the noise.
“Can there be others as unhappy as ourselves!” exclaimed Anneke, forgetting
her own fears in generous sympathy. “See, Littlepage!--see, _dear_
Cornelius--yonder surely comes another sleigh!”
Come it did, like the tempest, or the whirlwind; passing within fifty feet
of us. I knew it at a glance. It was the sleigh of Herman Mordaunt, empty;
with the horses, maddened by terror, running wherever their fears impelled.
As the sleigh passed, it was thrown on one side; then it was once more
whirled up again; and it went out of sight, with the rumbling sound of the
runners mingling with the jingling of bells and the tramp of hoofs.
At this instant a loud, distant cry from a human voice, was certainly
heard. It seemed, to me, as if some one called my name; and Anneke said,
she so understood it, too. The call, if call it was, came from the south,
and from under the western shore. At the next moment, awful reports
proceeded from the barrier above; and, passing an arm around the slender
waist of my lovely companion, to support her, I began a rapid movement in
the direction of that call. While attempting to reach the western shore, I
had observed a high mound of broken ice, that was floating down; or rather,
was pressed down on the smooth surface of the frozen river, in advance of
the smaller cakes that came by in the current. It was increasing, in size,
by accessions from these floating cakes, and threatened to form a new dam,
at some narrow pass below, as soon as of sufficient size. It occurred to me
we should be temporarily safe, could we reach that mound, for it rose so
high as to be above danger from the water. Thither, then, I ran, almost
carrying Anneke on my arm; our speed increased by the terrific sounds from
the dam above us.
We reached the mound, and found the cakes so piled, as to be able to ascend
them; though not without an effort. After getting up a layer or two, the
broken mass became so irregular and ragged, as to render it necessary for
me to mount first, and then to drag Anneke up after me. This I did, until
exhausted; and we both seated ourselves on the edge of a cake, in order to
recover our breath. While there, it struck me, that new sounds arose from
the river; and, bending forward to examine, I saw that the water had forced
its way through the dam above and was coming down upon us in a torrent.
[Footnote 26: This remark of Mr. Cornelius Littlepage's, may induce a smile
in the reader. But, few persons of fifty can be found, who cannot recall
the time, when it was a rare thing to imagine _anything_ American, as good
as its English counterpart. The American who could write a book--a real,
live book--forty years since, was a sort of prodigy. It was the same with
him who could paint any picture beyond a common portrait. The very fruits
and natural productions of the country were esteemed, doubtingly; and he
was a bold man who dared to extol even canvass-back ducks, in the year
1800! At the present day, the feeling is fast undergoing an organic change.
It is now the fashion to _extol_ everything American, and from submitting
to a degree that was almost abject, to the feeling of colonial dependency,
the country is filled, to-day, with the most profound provincial
self-admiration. It is to be hoped that the next change will bring us to
something like the truth.--EDITOR.]