motes of tbe IFUgbt 



ation were on the verge of chaos. Here, at last, 

 I had found superlative wildness. I could not 

 have imagined anything more unlike the living 

 day, and yet there was something more in store 

 for me. Just beyond me, where a spring strug- 

 gled with little success to break through the sphag- 

 num and form a little pool where skunk-cabbage 

 grew rank as a tropical jungle, and all was hedged 

 in by briers that nothing larger than a weasel could 

 penetrate here, suddenly, a shapeless, flickering 

 flame appeared, disappeared, and reappeared, fit- 

 full as an auroral light, but far more weird, un- 

 earthly, and repellent. The motion was, in a way, 

 lifelike, and the light itself shed no radiance upon 

 the surrounding objects. It did not retire as I ap- 

 proached, but faded quite away and only came 

 again into view as I backed from the spot to 

 my original position. How my presence could 

 affect it puzzled me, and I forced my way 

 again as near as the briers would permit, and 

 waited for the reappearance of the light. It 

 seemed a long time, as I was standing in an 

 uncomfortable position and of course impatient ; 

 but at last I could faintly detect a trace of lu- 

 minosity near the ground, but no outlined area, 

 like a sunlit cloud. By my mere presence I 

 seemed to hold it down; to keep this wild 

 dancing imp of the dismal swamp under control. 

 But a moment ago, free as the air and active 

 as the wind, and now groveling on the weedy 

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