History tells us much about the city I’m writing about, but time and space will not allow me to repeat it to you. I will, however, tell you that Venice is said to stand on one hundred and seventeen islands. There are one hundred and fifty canals, and those canals are spanned by three hundred and eighty bridges. There are a few narrow streets where people can walk, and when standing in the middle of one with arms outstretched, the walls of the houses on either side can easily be touched. There are also a few streets a little wider than the first named, but I must say only a very few. Horses and wagons are never seen in the city, and the people who never go from home do not know what a horse looks like. Do you wonder how the people get along without horses and wagons? Well, they use little boats called gondolas. A gondola is long and narrow, with a flat bottom. One man rows it, using one oar, and always standing at the stern of his boat. He is called a gondolier. It is very interesting to watch the gondolier as he guides the little boat, turning corners as swiftly as a driver turns a street corner with horse and buggy, never once running into an object. Notes of warning are called out continually as they glide along, and you are impressed with the thought of their carefulness. We hired a gondola for three hours, and did not get out of it during that time. The gondolier did not understand a word of English, so we could not talk to him; but we knew well enough what he meant when he stopped every once in a while. We shook our heads, No, no, and motioned for him to go on, when reluctantly he moved forward. You see Italians like strong drink, and he always pulled up in front of a saloon. When he could stand it no longer he did as he pleased and stopped for the drink, leaving us seated quietly in the boat. Gondolas are all painted black, and most of them have cabins which serve to shield the passenger from sun or rain. They are very comfortable boats to ride in, and one does not get tired of skimming over the water. There is one canal larger than any of the rest, which is known as the Grand Canal. The water in it is deep enough to float large sized vessels, and many of them stop there to load and unload freight, and also to take on passengers for other ports. The water was perfectly calm, and our ride was interesting and enjoyable.