'What about a trip on the Maid of the Mist, seventy-five cents with oilskins.'

Hugh turned around gingerly, hands on knees.

'Yeah. To where the rainbow ends.' – UTV, 286.

The small boats (there are usually two in operation) carry tourists to the foot of the Niagara Falls. The service began in 1867, and a new boat with the same name replaced the original one in 1900.

Lowry's reference to the rainbow is an ironic detail – since the times of Noah, it has represented a sign of hope and a token of God's covenant to mankind.

Image: The Maid of the Mist approaches the Horseshoe falls at Niagara. Courtesy Flickr user sailorbill / Creative Commons