Part 44 (1/2)
[Illustration: THE COAST]
CHAPTER XVII
THE GREATER RHINE
THE RETURN HOMEWARD--ON THE TERRACE,--QUEBEC
The Class e by the way of Liverpool to Quebec, one of the shortest of the ocean ferries, and one of the htful in midsummer and early autus havedown the Mersey, and Liverpool with her thousands of shi+ps, and Birkenhead with its airy cottages, were disappearing from view, Mr Beal reh the Straits, and so shall be probably only four and a half days out of sight of land”
”I did not suppose it was possible to cross the Atlantic from land to land in four days and a half,” said Charlie Leland
”We shall stop to-morrow at Moville, the port of Londonderry,” said Mr Beal ”A few hours after we leave we shall sink the Irish coast
Make notes of the tiht-houses of Ireland, and of the time when you first see Labrador, and coe,” said Mr Beal
Past the green hills of Ireland the stea shi+ps so nu city, or the suburbs of acity; for Liverpool itself, with her seven miles of wonderful docks, is a city of the sea
The Giant's Causeway, the sunny port of Moville, the rocky islands with their white light-houses, were passed, and at one o'clock on Mondaylike a star
The Atlantic was perfectly cal the tranquillity of the ocean that follows the settled summer weather The steaht days and bright nights succeeded each other A flock of gulls followed the steamer far out to sea For three days no object of interest was seen on the level ocean except the occasional spouting of a whale
The sky was a glory in the long twilights The sun when half set made the distant ocean seeht clouds after sunset like hazes drifting away fro the shadowy coast of Labrador appeared The voyage seemed now virtually ended after four days from land to land There were three days more, but the steamer would be in calm water, with land constantly in view
The Straits of Belle Isle, some six miles wide, were as calm as had been the ocean The Gulf of St Lawrence--the fishi+ng field of the world--was like a surface of glass The sunrise and ht scenes to vieonderful as the skies of Italy; giganticsails broke the lassy sea, and now and then appeared an Indian canoe such as Jacques Cartier and the early explorers saw nearly three centuries ago
The wild shores of Anticosti rose and sunk
”We are now in the Greater Rhine,” said Mr Beal to the boys,--”the Rhine of the West”
”How is that?” asked Charlie Leland ”Is not the Hudson the American Rhine?”
[Illustration: NIAGARA FALLS]
”It is the New York Rhine,” said Mr Beal, sht of analogy, the American Rhine, and so deserves to be called”
”Which is the larger river?” asked Charlie
”The larger?”
”Yes, the longer?”
”It does not seem possible that an American schoolboy could seriously ask such a question! I anorance that older people of intelligence show in regard to our river of which all Americans should be proud