Commerce drifted into other ports.

The phantom fleet sailed off one day, and never came back again.

The crazy old warehouses are empty; and barnacles and eel-grass cling to the piles of the crumbling wharves, where the sunshine lies lovingly, bringing out the faint spicy odor that haunts the place--the ghost of the old dead West India trade! During our ride from the station, I was struck, of course, only by the general neatness of the houses and the beauty of the elm-trees lining the streets.

I describe Rivermouth now as I came to know it afterwards.
Rivermouth is a very ancient town.

In my day there existed a tradition among the boys that it was here Christopher Columbus made his first landing on this continent.