From her position in the shade of the willow, she looked out over the flat marshlands toward the west.

Nearby, at the edge of the firmer pasture lands, the rushes grew luxuriously, now crowned with large, glossy-brown "cat-tails." The flats to the left were spotted by beds of white and black saleratus and bunches of course salt grass.

Openings of sluggish water lay hot in the sun, winding in and out among reeds, and at this hour every clear afternoon, shining with the undimmed reflection of the burning sun.

The air was laden with salty odors of the marshes.

A light afternoon haze hung over the distance.