92 THE LAND OF PLUCK

Holland is very characteristic and very much at its ad-
vantage during such a time, and I am really thankful. to
have been able to join in the universal movement.

“As you know, a great many of the people, especially
the peasants, skate very well. The country is cut up by
canals running from one town to the other, and from one
village to the other ; along these waters slow barges travel
peacefully the whole summer through, laden with coals,
wood, vegetables, pottery, and numberless other things; a
ereat deal of traffic is done in this slow but sure way, as it
is a very cheap mode of transport. But these same waters
now bore a much livelier aspect. People of all classes
skated along their smooth surfaces, and many have been
the expeditions planned and executed to skate from one
town to the other, halting at several small villages on the
way, and thus seeing the country in an original and very
pleasant manner.

“My sister and I, and several ladies and gentlemen,
made a charming excursion on one of the finest and mild-
est days of the winter. The sun shone brightly, the sky
was blue, and although the thermometer pointed below
zero, it was quite warm and delicious to skate. We were
quite a large party, and went from the Hague to Amster-
dam, and thence across the Y and farther over the inland
waters to Monnickendam, on skates of course.

“Monnickendam lies at the Zuider Zee, which is a kind
of bay formed by the North Sea and surrounded by sev-
eral provinces of our country. In comparison with your
grand lakes, it is small, but we consider it quite a large
water, and it is very rarely frozen over. This year, how-