Cool in danger and enterprising always, he had proven his
daring on more than one occasion at the peril of his life. He had
been in Toledo on a wholly different mission, when chance had thrown
him on the track of the "Terror."
We drove rapidly along the shore of Lake Erie, toward the southwest.
This inland sea of water is on the northern boundary of the United
States, lying between Canada on one side and the States of Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York on the other. If I stop to mention the
geographical position of this lake, its depth, its extent, and the
waters nearest around, it is because the knowledge is necessary for
the understanding of the events which were about to happen.
The surface of Lake Erie covers about ten thousand square miles. It
is nearly six hundred feet above sea level. It is joined on the
northwest, by means of the Detroit River, with the still greater
lakes to the westward, and receives their waters. It has also rivers
of its own though of less importance, such as the Rocky, the
Cuyahoga, and the Black. The lake empties at its northeastern end
into Lake Ontario by means of Niagara River and its celebrated falls.
The greatest known depth of Lake Erie is over one hundred and thirty
feet. Hence it will be seen that the mass of its waters is
considerable. In short, this is a region of most magnificent lakes.
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