52 A Night on Dartmoor. QJAN. 



heard them hoarsely laughing in the rocky amphitheatre of Llynn-y-Vau, 

 and high up among the Alpine crags of Snowdon, but never, never yet 

 did I hear so awful, so thrilling a sound as the thunder's voice on Dart- 

 moor. It was not quick active elastic ; but dull, and hollow, and 

 sepulchral, as if ten thousand funeral cars, with muffled wheels, were 

 together slowly and heavily rumbling along the brazen floor of heaven. 

 Every element of earth and air seemed ranged under the black banners 

 of the tempest. The ground rocked and reeled the arrowy lightning 

 hissed round me the wind howled like a demon baffled of his prey 

 the rain splashed sullenly in the morasses and, that nought might be 

 wanting to complete the uproar, the wild fox, the raven, and the vulture, 

 joined in chorus. 



These horrors, coupled with the preceding dreams, were too much 

 for me. I felt my reason slowly giving way beneath the shock. 

 J looked up to heaven, there was no hope; to earth, it lay black 

 and frowning as a charnel-house. In an extacy of fear, remorse, and 

 agony, I threw myself on my knees in prayer. " Hear me, Almighty 

 Power," I wildly said, " my mind is fast going from me ; I have used 

 every effort, I have braved every danger ; but all is vain, this hot, 

 scorching head is on the whirl ; oh ! ere yet I am quite mad, strike 

 strike me with thine avenging bolt, and crush me, a blackened corse, to 

 earth. Hark ! I am summoned, or is it insanity that lends me ears ? 

 Again ! Spirit of the tempest ! I come/' and I sunk in a sort of delirious 

 stupor on the ground. 



The storm had continued about an hour, during which time I lay in a 

 condition, little, if at all, removed from absolute madness, when sud- 

 denly, on endeavouring to lift myself up, I fancied I heard, during a 

 brief interval of silence, the " halloo" of a human voice in distance. 

 Words cannot paint the effect that this impression made on my mind ! 

 I listened, as if life and death hung directly on the issue. Nor was I 

 mistaken in my conjecture, for the noise kept evidently drawing nearer, 

 and presently a hundred torch-lights flickered through the gloom, all 

 bearing towards the rock where I stood. In a few minutes I heard the 

 hasty splash of footsteps, accompanied by the barking of dogs, and the 

 Ipud shouts of men. Oh, how my thirsty ears drank in those sounds ! 

 No music, however exquisite no words, however friendly no vows, 

 however fervent ever yet fell on my soul with half the sweetness of the 

 Lmg unheard human voice. A minute before I had given up all hopes 

 of life : my strength was gone, my reason shattered ; I scarce felt myself 

 a denizen of earth. The whole man now rushed back on my mind, 

 filling it with a thousand wild fears and transports. Again I felt that I 

 should live among my fellow creatures, again hear the sweet voices of 

 my friends and kindred, and in the enthusiasm excited by such recollec- 

 tions, despair passed off, like a cloud, from my brain, and I burst into 

 a passion of tears. 



After another eventful pause, during which I shook from head to foot, 

 hardly daring to believe that succour was at hand, I contrived, though 

 feebly, to shout aloud for help. God of heaven, my summons was re- 

 turned ! " Halloo, halloo," cried out a dozen voices at once ; the torches 

 flashed brighter the tramp of footsteps thickened and presently a 

 noble wolf-dog, followed by nearly a hundred villagers from Stickle- 

 Path and South Zeal, with my kind, my generous old landlord at their 

 head, came bounding towards me. I was safe ! 



