"I think a wheel-house forward is ever so much better. I see the cook is
a woman."

"Yes; all the Rhine steamers have female cooks. This boat, I believe,
belongs to the Moerdyk line. Passengers from Antwerp come by railroad to
Moerdyk, and there take the steamer to Rotterdam. This country is very
favorable to railroads in being level, but very unfavorable in the
number of rivers and cut-offs to be crossed, which it is impossible to
bridge."

The steamer stood up the Leck, and turned into the Merwe, which is a
branch five or six miles in length, connecting the Leck and the Waal. On
each side was a dike, of course; but the view from the steamer showed
only an ordinary bank. The top of it was broad, and occasionally there
was a neat cottage or a little inn upon the top of it. The roof or
chimney of a house beyond it was frequently observed, otherwise the
uninformed traveller would not have suspected the character of the
country. The embankment was studded with windmills, placed on the
highest ground, to give the sails the full benefit of the wind. Some of
them were used for grinding grain, some for sawing lumber, and others
for forcing the water up from the low ground into the river.

The steamer passed from the Merwe into the Waal, and stood up the river.
There was but little variation in the scenery. The wall of dikes on
either side was uninterrupted. Sometimes they were lined with rows of
trees, between which was the common road; at others they were bare and
naked. The captain of the steamer told them that a portion of the
country in the vicinity was lower than the bottom of the river. The
whole region seemed to be saturated with water, and the wonder is that
the people can go to bed at night with any assurance that they will not
be drowned out before morning.

"There is the Castle of Loevestein," said the captain of the boat, who
spoke good English, "and the fort below has the same name."

"Did you ever hear of it before?" asked Mr. Mapps, who was on the
lookout for places of historical interest, as he turned to a group of
seamen.

"You mentioned it this morning," replied one of the students.

"In what connection?"

"Some man had a wonderful escape from it," added another.

"Who was that man?"

"A Dutchman with a Latin name."

"Grotius, or De Groot," added Mr. Mapps. "The Stadtholder, Prince
Maurice, the boy general and ruler, wished to make himself hereditary
sovereign of the Netherlands, and was oppose