44 PEARLS AND PEBBLES. 



The bells of the town rang cheerily in honor of a 

 wedding party, who later came on board our vessel on 

 their honeymoon trip to Niagara. Our departure was 

 delayed by the taking in of freight for the upper 

 provincial towns, and the landing of such as had been 

 forwarded to Brockville, as well as by the late arrival 

 of a number of extra passengers, so that it was well 

 on towards evening before we left the wharf and 

 entered the intricate channels of the Lake of the 

 Thousand Isles. 



The day had been excessively hot, and grateful was 

 the change to the cool refreshing shades of the wooded 

 islands, where oak and ash and elm mingled their 

 branches with those of the dark feathery hemlock, pine 

 and balsam firs. The grey cedars, too, delighted the 

 eye which had become wearied with the glare of the 

 sun upon the glassy surface of the water. 



Our progress was slow and steady, for in those early 

 days of steam navigation much caution was shown, and 

 truly the passenger immigrants on board were in no 

 hurry, for the " wide world was all before them, where 

 to choose their place of rest." 



Every turn of the paddle-wheels brought some new 

 and lovely spot into view. Visions of pleasant rustic 

 homes to be made by forest, lake and river rose to my 

 mental vision as our vessel threaded her way among 

 those fairy islands ; and with almost childish delight I 

 would point out wild rocky headlands bright with 



