a venerable tenant of the forest. This fact, of itself, proved that no one
tree of them all was _very_ old; a circumstance that was certainly owing to
the ravages of the annual freshets. I say annual; for though the freshet
which now encompassed us, was far more serious than usual, each year
brought something of the sort; and the islands were constantly increasing
or diminishing under their action. To prevent the last, a thicket of trees
was left at the head of each island, to form a sort of barricade against
the inroads of the ice in the spring. So low was the face of the land,
or meadow, however, that a rise of a very few feet in the river would
be certain to bring it entirely under water. All this will be made more
apparent by our own proceedings, after we had placed the ladies in the
sleigh; and more especially, by the passing remarks of Guert while employed
in his subsequent efforts.

No sooner did Guert Ten Eyck believe the ladies to be temporarily safe,
than he proposed to me that we should take a closer look at the state of
the river, in order to ascertain the most feasible means of getting on the
main land. This was said aloud, and in a cheerful way, as if he no longer
felt any apprehension, and, evidently to me, to encourage our companions.
Anneke desired us to go, declaring that now she knew herself to be on dry
land, all her own fears had vanished. We went accordingly, taking our first
direction towards the head of the island.

A very few minutes sufficed to reach the limits of our narrow domain; and,
as we approached them, Guert pointed out to me the mound of ice that was
piling up behind it, as a most fearful symptom.

"_There_ is our danger," he said, with emphasis, "and we must not trust to
these trees. This freshet goes beyond any I ever saw on the river; and not
a spring passes that we have not more or less of them. Do you not see,