70 EIvDORADO 



sublime. Several large islands raised their high, 

 rocky heads out of the waves, but whether or not they 

 were timbered was still left to our imagination, as the 

 distance was too great to determine it the dark hues 

 upon them were woodland or naked rock. During 

 the day the clouds had gathered black over the mount- 

 ains to the westward, and while we were looking, a 

 storm burst down with sudden fury upon the lake and 

 entirely hid the islands from view. So far as we 

 could see along the shores there was not a solitary 

 tree and but little appearance of grass. Carson, Ber- 

 nier and Basil Lajeunesse were selected for a boat 

 expedition to the islands the following day, the first 

 attempted on this inland sea. Around our fire tonight 

 were many speculations on what the morrow would 

 bring forth, and in our hazy conjectures we fancied 

 that we should find all of the large islands a tangled 

 wilderness of trees, teaming with game of every de- 

 scription, which the foot of a white man had never 

 violated. A perilous voyage was made in the rubber 

 boat to a large island, where our party remained all 

 night, the rough condition of the lake preventing our 

 return before the following morning. Out of drift 

 wood we made ourselves pleasant little lodges and lay 

 down for the first time in a long journey in perfect 

 security, no one thinking about his arms. The wind 

 rose during the night and the waves beat heavily 

 against the shore, making our island tremble. I had 

 not expected in our inland journey to hear the roar of 

 an ocean surf, and the strangeness of our situation and 

 the excitement we felt in the associated interest of the 

 place made this one of the most interesting nights T 

 made during our long expedition." 



