Roughing it in the Bush | Page 9

turned to the right and to the left, I looked up and down the
glorious river; never had I beheld so many striking objects blended into
one mighty whole! Nature had lavished all her noblest features in
producing that enchanting scene.
The rocky isle in front, with its neat farm-houses at the eastern point,
and its high bluff at the western extremity, crowned with the
telegraph--the middle space occupied by tents and sheds for the cholera
patients, and its wooded shores dotted over with motley groups--added
greatly to the picturesque effect of the land scene. Then the broad,
glittering river, covered with boats darting to and fro, conveying
passengers from twenty-five vessels, of various size and tonnage,
which rode at anchor, with their flags flying from the mast-head, gave
an air of life and interest to the whole. Turning to the south side of the
St. Lawrence, I was not less struck with its low fertile shores, white
houses, and neat churches, whose slender spires and bright tin roofs
shone like silver as they caught the first rays of the sun. As far as the
eye could reach, a line of white buildings extended along the bank;
their background formed by the purple hue of the dense, interminable
forest. It was a scene unlike any I had ever beheld, and to which Britain
contains no parallel. Mackenzie, an old Scotch dragoon, who was one
of our passengers, when he rose in the morning, and saw the parish of
St. Thomas for the first time, exclaimed: "Weel, it beats a'! Can thae
white clouts be a' houses? They look like claes hung out to drie!" There
was some truth in this odd comparison, and for some minutes, I could
scarcely convince myself that the white patches scattered so thickly
over the opposite shore could be the dwellings of a busy, lively
population.
"What sublime views of the north side of the river those habitans of St.
Thomas must enjoy," thought I. Perhaps familiarity with the scene has
rendered them indifferent to its astonishing beauty.
Eastward, the view down the St. Lawrence towards the Gulf, is the
finest of all, scarcely surpassed by anything in the world. Your eye
follows the long range of lofty mountains until their blue summits are

blended and lost in the blue of the sky. Some of these, partially cleared
round the base, are sprinkled over with neat cottages; and the green
slopes that spread around them are covered with flocks and herds. The
surface of the splendid river is diversified with islands of every size and
shape, some in wood, others partially cleared, and adorned with
orchards and white farm-houses. As the early sun streamed upon the
most prominent of these, leaving the others in deep shade, the effect
was strangely novel and imposing. In more remote regions, where the
forest has never yet echoed to the woodman's axe, or received the
impress of civilisation, the first approach to the shore inspires a
melancholy awe, which becomes painful in its intensity.
Land of vast hills and mighty streams, The lofty sun that o'er thee
beams On fairer clime sheds not his ray, When basking in the noon of
day Thy waters dance in silver light, And o'er them frowning, dark as
night, Thy shadowy forests, soaring high, Stretch forth beyond the
aching eye, And blend in distance with the sky.
And silence--awful silence broods Profoundly o'er these solitudes;
Nought but the lapsing of the floods Breaks the deep stillness of the
woods; A sense of desolation reigns O'er these unpeopled forest plains.
Where sounds of life ne'er wake a tone Of cheerful praise round
Nature's throne, Man finds himself with God--alone.
My daydreams were dispelled by the return of the boat, which brought
my husband and the captain from the island.
"No bread," said the latter, shaking his head; "you must be content to
starve a little longer. Provision-ship not in till four o'clock." My
husband smiled at the look of blank disappointment with which I
received these unwelcome tidings, "Never mind, I have news which
will comfort you. The officer who commands the station sent a note to
me by an orderly, inviting us to spend the afternoon with him. He
promises to show us everything worthy of notice on the island. Captain
--- claims acquaintance with me; but I have not the least recollection of
him. Would you like to go?"
"Oh, by all means. I long to see the lovely island. It looks a perfect

paradise at this distance."
The rough sailor-captain screwed his mouth on one side, and gave me
one of his comical looks, but he said nothing until he assisted in placing
me and the baby in the boat.
"Don't be too sanguine, Mrs. Moodie; many things look well at a
distance