"I have not yet named the lake on which we spent this forenoon. I hereby christen it Lake Dangerous, as a warning to those who might be deceived by its apparent harmlessness. All ye unwary ones, take heed of sudden storms, deceiving shallows, unfathomable depths, and certain rocky places, where supernatural powers are at work to steal the precious secret of the soul!"
At this dramatic proclamation Indiana gave vent to a ringing peal of laughter.
"What's the joke, Indiana?" called Mrs. Bunker.
"Oh, Lord Canning is talking the greatest amount of nonsense."
"Your nephew isn't near as serious as when I met him at Cannes," observed Mrs. Bunker. "Indiana brightens everybody up."
"Quite so, Mrs. Bunker. Now hadn't you better use your arts to brighten me up?"
"What have I been doing all this time? Wasting my sweetness, I see."
"Ha, ha, ha, ha! yes, Mrs. Bunker. You had better commence all over again."
As they drove on the sound of the falls grew into a loud roar. Miniature rapids could be seen, now and then, as the river emptied itself into small rocky basins, then plunged onward. Finally, Indiana slackened pace at a rustic bridge, where they alighted. This bridge led by short flights of steps to other ascending bridges spanning the falls.
"I'll sit down by the water," said Mrs. Stillwater. "I don't like to cross the falls. They make me giddy."