"Could it have been a slip ?" "No slip.

It's repeated.

At the end of the second chapter he says this--I think I have it nearly word for word: 'At the meeting of the waters from Delaware and from Itasca, and from the mountain ranges close upon the Pacific--' Now what did he mean by making this very extraordinary statement twice?
Is there a catch about it?
Canals, or something ?" "I think, perhaps," said Mary, "he meant to poke fun at our habit of reading without attention and of accepting statement as proof." "That's it, likely.

But maybe there's a joker about canals.

Wasn't there a Baltimore and Ohio Canal?
But again, if so, how did water from Delaware get to Baltimore?
Anyhow, that's how it all began--studying about canals.
For, how about this dry canal along here?
It runs forty miles that I know of--I've seen that much of it, driving Thompson's car.