A CROOKED HIVKI5 AND DIZZY SUN. 137 



at any rate, seems to be greatly confused, seeking now this 

 side, ami then that, of the broad valley through which it 

 winds, doubling back upon itself at almost every turn as if 

 to see it' the rest of the water was coining along all right. 

 If there is one thing it fully understands, it is the principle 

 of the loop, in all its possible variety. It makes more dis- 

 tance in a shorter direct advance than any other stream 1 

 know of. Of course, it takes a good deal of time for a 

 river to do any business in this way; and it was unani 

 inously voted that IJeavcr liiver was either the progenitor 

 of NYardwell. or that \Vardwell was at least the god-father 

 of the river. We never could quite settle that little que> 

 tion we didn't "git time." 



\Ve --lowly and surely wound our way up the river, 

 crooked ;is it is, regardless of the tickle sun which shone 

 now in our I'aco, next on our backs, and, again, impartially 

 burning one ear and then the other the worst intoxicated 

 and most ivekle^ -un that ever shone; or, was it dizzy 

 from trying to watch the turns of Heaver River? 



At five o'clock we were huiign again, and landed on a 

 point of hard land, for supper. So were and did thebLck 

 Hies. \V< supposed when we left home that we were nicely 

 and in a soldierly manner stealing a march on this enemy, 

 and overwhelming him with the almanac. He was not 

 due so early according to the entomological time-table, but 

 he came, nevertheless some millions of him. We disputed 

 our coffee and hard tack with him at " Black Fly Point "- 

 a name born of our anguish and then hastened on, eager 

 to find a rot for the weary where the wicked fly would 



