The innocents abroad; . t be rememberedthat those are forced terms—Sheriffs sale prices. As far as Iam privately concerned, I abate not a jot of the original asser-tion that in those strangely magnifying waters one may countthe scales on a trout (a trout of the large kind,) at a depth ofa hundred and eighty feet—may see every pebble on the bot-tom—might even count a paper of dray-pins. People talk ofthe transparent waters of the Mexican Bay of Acapulco, but inmy own experience I know they can not compare with those I amspeaking of. I have fished for trout, in Tahoe, and at a meas-ured deptli o
The innocents abroad; . t be rememberedthat those are forced terms—Sheriffs sale prices. As far as Iam privately concerned, I abate not a jot of the original asser-tion that in those strangely magnifying waters one may countthe scales on a trout (a trout of the large kind,) at a depth ofa hundred and eighty feet—may see every pebble on the bot-tom—might even count a paper of dray-pins. People talk ofthe transparent waters of the Mexican Bay of Acapulco, but inmy own experience I know they can not compare with those I amspeaking of. I have fished for trout, in Tahoe, and at a meas-ured deptli of eighty-four feet I have seen them put their noses tothe bait and I could see their gills open and shut. I could hardlyhave seen the trout themselves at that distance in the open air. As I go back in spirit and recall that noble sea, reposingamong the snow-peaks six thousand feet above the ocean, theconviction comes strong upon me again that Como would onlyseem a bedizened little courtier in that august COMO COMPARED WITH TAHOE. 205 Sorrow and misfortune overtake the Legislature that stillfrom year to year permits Tahoe to retain its unmusical cogno-men ! Tahoe! It suggests no crystal waters, no picturesqueshores, no sublimity. Tahoe for a sea in the clouds : a sea thathas character, and asserts it in solemn calms, at times, at timesin savage storms; a sea, whose royal seclusion is guarded by a•cordon of sentinel peaks that lift their frosty fronts nine thou-sand feet above the level world; a sea whose every aspect isimpressive, whose belongings are all beautiful, whose lonelymajesty types the Deity ! Tahoe means grasshoppers. It means grasshopper is Indian, and suggestive of Indians. They say it is Pi-ute—possibly it is Digger. I am satisfied it was named by the Dig-gers—those degraded savages who roast their dead relatives,then mix the human grease and ashes of bones with tar, and^ gaum it thick all over their heads and foreheads and ears,and g
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectvoyagesandtravels
