he world.

There is no doubt, however, about the king of cataracts. That is
Niagara. If you have seen it you can understand its grandeur, but
you can never appreciate it from a written description. A picture
will give you some idea of it, but not a perfect one, by any means.

[Illustration: FALLS OF ZAMBESI.]

The Indians called these falls "thundering water," and it was an
admirable title. The waters thunder over the great precipice, as they
have done for thousands of years before we were born, and will
continue to do thousands of years after we are dead.

The Falls of Niagara are divided by an island into two portions,
called the Canadian and the American Falls. This island lies nearer to
the United States shore than to that of Canada. Therefore the American
Falls are the smallest. This island is named Goat Island, and you have
a good view of it in the picture.

[Illustration]

It seems as if the resistless torrent would some day tear away this
lonely promontory, as it rushes upon and around it. It is not unlikely
that in the course of ages the island may be carried away.

Even now, portions of it are occasionally torn off by the rush of the
waters.

You can cross over to Goat Island by means of a bridge, and when there
you can go down _under the falls_. Standing in what is called the
"Cave of the Winds," you can look out at a thick curtain of water,
from eighteen to thirty feet thick, pouring down from the rocks above.
This curtain, dark and glittering, is a portion of the great falls.

It is necessary to spend days at Niagara before its grandeur can be
fully appreciated. But we must pass on to other waters, and not tarry
at this glorious cataract until we are carried away by our subject.

We will now look at, for a short time, what may be called _Profitable
Waters_. The waters of the earth are profitable in so many ways that
it would be impossible for us to consider them all. But we will simply
glance at a few scenes, where we can easily perceive what advantages
man derives from the waters, deep or shallow. In our own country there
is no more common method of making a living out of the water than by
fishing with a net.

The men in the picture, when they have hauled their seine to shore,
will probably find as good a reward for their labor as if they had
been working on the land instead of in the river; and if it is shad
for which they are fishing, their profits will probably be greater.

You know that