Chambers, American artist and writer, later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers had one of the most successful literary careers of his period, with a few of his works achieving bestseller status. The book begins: On the 1st of May, 1774, the anchor-ice, which for so many months had silver-plated the river's bed with frosted crusts, was ripped off and dashed into a million gushing flakes by the amber outrush of the springtide flood. On that day I had laid my plans for fishing the warm shallows where the small fry, swarming in early spring, attract the great lean fish which have lain benumbed all winter under their crystal roof of ice.