22 JOHN BURROUGHS 



appear upon the beach, about a mile distant. They 

 browse around awhile, then disappear in the woods. To 

 the west of us is a striking picture. In the foreground is 

 the sea with a line of low, rounded, dark rocky islands; 

 behind them, far off, a range of blue mountains with a 

 broad band of dun-colored clouds resting upon them; 

 rising above the band of clouds a series of snow-covered 

 peaks, with the sun shining full upon them, probably the 

 highest peaks we have yet seen. The cloud belt cuts off 

 and isolates the peaks and gives them a buoyant airy char- 

 acter. From the dark near-by tree-tufted chain of islands, 

 to the white-illuminated peaks, what a wealth of blue and 

 gray tints and tones ! 



Near nightfall on this second day we begin to feel the 

 great pulse of the Pacific around the head of Vancouver 

 Island, through the broad open door called Queen Char- 

 lotte Sound. For three hours the ship rolls as upon the 

 open sea, and to several of us the ' subsequent proceed- 

 ings ' that night were void of interest. 



In the early morning we pass another open door, Mil- 

 bank Sound, but are soon in Graham Reach, which is like 

 a larger, wilder Hudson. When we look out of our win- 

 dows the sun is upon the mountain tops, and the snow 

 much farther down their sides than we have yet seen it. 



As we progress, many deep ravines are noted in vast 

 recesses in the mountains, scooped out by the old glaciers. 

 They are enormous rocky bowls which we imagine hold 

 crystal lakes; foaming streams pour out of them into the 

 channel. Far up, silver threads of water, born of the 

 melting snows, are seen upon the vast faces of the rocks. 

 Some of them course down the tracks of old landslides; 

 others are seen only as they emerge from the dark spruces. 



The snow upon the mountain tops looks new fallen; 

 our glasses bring out the sharp curling edges of the drifts. 

 Here and there along the shore below are seen the rude 



