My Sweet paulb, thank you. These are lovely passages--I can fairly hear the river singing. I've read some things where that sort of style just sounds artificial, but she makes it acceptably natural. Do you know why the book's called Tiger's eye?
Oh--it just hit me: water-boatmen isn't literal, is it?
Aren't they those bugs that walk on water, all legs and only a little body?
{Geez, this is the second time in less than 24 hours I've made it obvious that I've taken something literally, that wasn't intended to be. Take warning, all.)