By boat to Clamshell.
I suspect the clams are partly gone down. May not this movement contribute to compel the muskrats to erect their cabins nearer the brink or channel, in order still to be near their food? Other things being equal, they would have to swim further than before to get the clams in the middle, but now, in addition, the water is beginning to rise and widen the river.
Sailing past the bank above the railroad, just before a clear sundown, close to the shore on the east side I see a second fainter shadow of the boat, sail, myself, and paddle, etc., directly above and upon the first on the bank.
What makes the second? At length I discovered that it was the reflected sun which cast a higher shadow like the true one. As I moved to the west side, the upper shadow rose, grew larger and less perceptible; and at last when I was so near the west shore that I could not see the reflected sun, it disappeared; but then there appeared one upside down in its place!
H. D. Thoreau, Journal, November 2, 1854
Now, in addition, the water is beginning to rise and widen the river. See November 2, 1851 ("The muskrat-houses are mostly covered by the rise of the river! — not a very unexpected one either.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Musquash
A second fainter shadow of the boat, sail, myself, and paddle. See August 31, 1852 ("I observe, on the willows on the east shore, the shadow of my boat and self and oars, upside down."); October 18, 1853 ("Returning late, we see a double shadow of ourselves and boat, one, the true, quite black, the other directly above it and very faint, on the willows and high bank.") and August 16, 1854 ("At the steam mill sand-bank is the distinct shadow of our shadows, — first on the water, then the double one on the bank bottom to bottom, one being upside down, — three in all, — one on water, two on land or bushes."); See also Walden, The Pond in Winter ("Sometimes, also, when the ice was covered with shallow puddles, I saw a double shadow of myself, one standing on the head of the other, one on the ice, the other on the trees or hill-side.")
 |
| August 16, 1854 |
What makes the second? At length I discovered that it was the reflected sun which cast a higher shadow like the true one. As I moved to the west side, the upper shadow rose, grew larger and less perceptible; and at last when I was so near the west shore that I could not see the reflected sun, it disappeared; but then there appeared one upside down in its place!
H. D. Thoreau, Journal, November 2, 1854
Now, in addition, the water is beginning to rise and widen the river. See November 2, 1851 ("The muskrat-houses are mostly covered by the rise of the river! — not a very unexpected one either.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Musquash
A second fainter shadow of the boat, sail, myself, and paddle. See August 31, 1852 ("I observe, on the willows on the east shore, the shadow of my boat and self and oars, upside down."); October 18, 1853 ("Returning late, we see a double shadow of ourselves and boat, one, the true, quite black, the other directly above it and very faint, on the willows and high bank.") and August 16, 1854 ("At the steam mill sand-bank is the distinct shadow of our shadows, — first on the water, then the double one on the bank bottom to bottom, one being upside down, — three in all, — one on water, two on land or bushes."); See also Walden, The Pond in Winter ("Sometimes, also, when the ice was covered with shallow puddles, I saw a double shadow of myself, one standing on the head of the other, one on the ice, the other on the trees or hill-side.")
No comments:
Post a Comment