250 



PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



America, from intense cold to almost Gulf Stream tempera- 

 ture : the result was that for one or two days all sheltered 

 portions of the bay would be ice-bound, and the succeed- 

 ing days the surface of the water covered with little bergs 

 and sheet-ice, like an Arctic floe. 



The 12th of February had been as balmy as an English 

 spring day, and the rays of the sun were reflected in innu- 

 merable colors off the prismatic surface of the blocks and 

 cakes of ice floating seaward with the retiring tide. The 

 pungies and canoes employed in oyster-dredging floated 

 listlessly on the bosom of the calm water, for not a breath 

 of wind fanned their snow-white cotton sails ; even so still 

 was the atmosphere that their crews' voices could be heard 

 distinctly at distances really surprising ; while the low land 

 of Turtle-egg Island, Holland and Hooper's Island, from the 

 rarefied state of the atmosphere, appeared to hang suspend- 

 ed in the air. I had passed the afternoon lounging on the 

 beach in front of the principal store on Devil's Island, a 

 spot which was the favorite resort of old and young, who 

 had time to spare for gossip. - Rising from a leaning posi- 

 tion against the stern of a boat, which I had assumed the 

 better to enjoy the perfect peacefulriess of the scene sur- 

 rounding me, I was about to retire to my lodgings, when 

 I casually remarked, addressing my language to no one in 

 particular, that if this weather continued, as I believed it 

 would, there was an end to duck-shooting in this locality 

 for the season. An old weather-beaten fellow, who, from 

 his appearance, had seen over sixty winters with very few 

 summers, put in an oar in the way of conversation, and 

 vouchsafed me the information that, " if he knew any thing 

 of the looks of the sky and water, with the next run of the 

 tide we would have a gale, and cold enough to take a fel- 

 low's nose off." This prophecy I thought little of at the 

 time, but an hour or two before midnight it was verified. 



