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EPISODES 



205 



rise here and there from the bosom of the water, and the 

 winding course of the stream frequently brings you to 

 places where the idea of being on a river of great length 

 changes to that of floating on a lake of moderate extent. 

 Some of these islands are of considerable size and value; 

 while others, small and insignificant, seem as if intended 

 for contrast, and as serving to enhance the general inter- 

 est of the scenery. These little islands are frequently 

 overflowed during great freshets or floods, and receive at 

 their heads prodigious heaps of drifted timber. We fore- 

 saw with great concern the alterations that cultivation 

 would soon produce along those delightful banks. 



As night came, sinking in darkness the broader portions 

 of the river, our minds became affected by strong emo- 

 tions, and wandered far beyond the present moments. 

 The tinkling of bells told us that the cattle which bore 

 them were gently roving from valley to valley in search 

 of food, or returning to their distant homes. The hoot- 

 ing of the Great Owl, or the muffled noise of its wings, 

 as it sailed smoothly over the stream, were matters of in- 

 terest to us; so was the sound of the boatman's horn, as 

 it came winding more and more softly from afar. When 

 daylight returned, many songsters burst forth with echo- 

 ing notes, more and more meJow to the listening ear. 

 Here and there the lonely cabin of a squatter struck the 

 eye, giving note of commencing civilization. The cross- 

 ing of the stream by a Deer foretold how soon the hills 

 would be covered with snow. 



Many sluggish flatboats we overtook and passed ; some 

 laden with produce from the different head-waters of the 

 small rivers that pour their tributary streams into the 

 Ohio; others, of less dimensions, crowded with emigrants 

 from distant parts, in search of a new home. Purer 

 pleasures I never felt ; nor have you, reader, I ween, un- 

 less indeed you have felt the like, and in such company. 



The margins of the shores and of the river were, at this 



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