JOHN C. FREMONT. 181 



some time had been looking suspiciously at some 

 whitening appearances outside the nearest island, 

 1 what are those yonder ? won't you just take a look 

 with the glass ?' We ceased paddling for a moment, 

 and found them to be the caps of the waves that 

 were beginning to break under the force of a strong 

 breeze that was coming up the lake. 



" The form of the boat seemed to be an admirable 

 one, and it rode on the waves like a water-bird; but, 

 at the same time, it was slow in its progress. When 

 we were little more than half-way across the reach, 

 two of the divisions between the cylinders gave 

 way, and it required the constant use of the bellows 

 to keep in a sufficient quantity of air. For a long 

 time we scarcely seemed to approach our island ; but 

 gradually we worked across the rougher sea of the 

 open channel, into the smoother water under the 

 lee of the island, and began to discover that what 

 we took for a long row of pelicans ranged on the 

 beach were only low cliffs whitened with salt by 

 the spray of the waves ; and about noon we reached 

 the shore, the transparency of the water enabling 

 us to see the bottom at a considerable depth. 



" It was a handsome broad beach where we landed, 

 behind which the hill, into which the island was 

 gathered, rose somewhat abruptly ; and a point of 

 rock at one end enclosed it in a sheltering way ; and, 



16 



