.

The weather was mild and warm, the lake was as clear and calm as a
mirror, and in joyous mood our little party embarked and paddled up the
lake, first to Ship Island, but this did not detain them many minutes;
they then went to Grape Island, which they so named from the abundance
of wild vines, now rich with purple clusters of the ripe grapes,--tart,
but still not to be despised by our young adventurers; and they brought
away a large birch basket heaped up with the fruit. "Ah, if we had but
a good cake of maple sugar, now, to preserve our grapes with, and make
such grape jelly as my mother makes!" said Louis.

"If we find out a sugar-bush we will manage to make plenty of sugar,"
said Catharine; "there are maples not two hundred yards from the shanty,
near the side of the steep bank to the east. You remember the pleasant
spot which we named the Happy Valley, _[FN: A lovely valley to the
east of Mount Ararat, now belonging to a worthy and industrious family
of the name of Brown. I wish Hector could see it as it now is,--a
cultivated fertile farm.]_ where the bright creek runs, dancing along so
merrily, below the pine-ridge?"

"Oh, yes, the same that winds along near the foot of Bare-hill, where
the water-cresses grow."

"Yes, where I gathered the milk-weed the other day."

"What a beautiful pasture-field that will make, when it is cleared!"
said Hector, thoughtfully.

"Hector is always planning about fields, and clearing great farms,"
said Louis, laughing. "We shall see Hec a great man one of these days; I
think he has in his own mind brushed, and burned, and logged up all the
fine flats and table-land on the plains before now, ay, and cropped it
all with wheat, and peas, and Indian corn."

"We will have a clearing and a nice field of corn next year, if we
live," replied Hector; "that corn that we found in the canoe will be a
treasure."

"Yes, and the corn-cob you got on Bare-hill," said Catherine. "How lucky
we have been! We shall be so happy when we see our little field of corn
flourishing round the shanty! It was a good thing, Hec, that you went
to the Indian camp that day, though both Louis and I were very miserable
while you were absent; but you see, God must have directed you, that the
life of this poor girl might be saved, to be a comfort to us. Everything
has prospered well with us since she came to us. Perhaps it is
because we try to make a Christian of her, and so God blesses all our
endeavours."