32 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



These little peculiarities all round encouraged 

 sociability ; you could hardly refuse to know a man 

 when you had drunk out of the same glass and 

 eaten from the same dish with him, and a lady 

 naturally felt at home with a gentleman whose ribs 

 she had been punching for half an hour. The pro- 

 gress of the meal, however, was somewhat checkered, 

 not a few of the guests clamoring for their dessert 

 ere the others had finished their soup. The only 

 explanation of this haste was from the graceful 

 stewardess, who was the redeeming feature of the 

 boat, and who said the waiters were in a hurry so 

 as to have it over as soon as possible. It might 

 aptly be said of the Americans : " They eat to live." 



Beyond Lake St. Clair the land on both sides of 

 the river is low, and, especially on the Canadian side, 

 adorned with cultivated farms and dotted with pic- 

 turesque country houses. A half mile barely sepa- 

 rates the two nations ; and, in case of war, with our 

 present improved artillery, the intervening river 

 would hardly form an obstacle to mutual destruc- 

 tion, till the once smiling fields and happy homes 

 would be one vast scene of desolation. 



Emerging into Lake Huron we began to perceive 

 the effects of the cool water and consequent conden- 

 sation of the warmer atmosphere ; a heavy fog lay 

 upon the surface, at first not higher than our upper 

 deck, but creeping up as the night advanced. On 

 one side a beautiful fog-bow with faint and delicate 

 colors, spanned the sky, while on the other a bril- 

 liant ring of sparkling silver surrounded the moon 



