When we contrived to separate at 7 a.m.,
some of my companions began on a fresh day's drinking, but I chose to
take a rest.
It was a lovely morning, and I felt like a bad sort of criminal amid the
clear, splendid beauty. When the light wind struck across the surface of
the river it seemed as if the water were pelted with falling jewels; the
osiers bowed and sighed as the breeze ran along their tops; and, here
and there, a spirt of shaken dewdrops described a flashing arc, and fell
poppling into the stream. Ah! how solemnly glad and pure and radiant the
great trees looked! The larks had gone wild with the joy of living, and
their delicious rivalry, their ceaseless gurgle of liquid melody, seemed
somehow to match the multitudinous glitter of the mighty clouds of
foliage. For a man with pure palate and healthy eye the sights and
sounds would have made a heaven; but my mouth was like a furnace, and
my eye was fevered. Nevertheless, I managed to enjoy the sweet panorama
more and more as my muscles grew tense, and I pulled on doggedly for
full three hours, until I had not a dry stitch on me; then a funny
little waterside inn drew my eye, and I went ashore.
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