74 LETTERS FROM THE BACKWOODS. 



would come more clearly on the ear' the roar of a 

 distant waterfall. It was so dark I could make 

 out nothing distinctly on shore ; and the island-like 

 tufts that here and there rose from the water, the 

 little bays and rocky points we passed, assumed the 

 most grotesque shapes to my fancy, till I had all the 

 feelings of one suddenly transported to a fairy land. 

 Now the silent boat would cross the shadow of a lofty 

 pine-tree that lay dark and calm in the water below, 

 and now sail over a bright constellation that spar- 

 kled in our path ; while the scream of a far-off loon 

 came ringing like a spirit's cry through the gloom. 

 Oh, how bright lay the sky, with its sapphire floor be- 

 neath us ! and how black was the fringe of shadow 

 that encroached on its beauty, and yet added to it by 

 contrast! The silent night around me, the strange- 

 ness of the place, and the far removal from human 

 habitations, were enough in themselves; but the dim, 

 impalpable objects on shore, just distinct enough to 

 confuse the senses, added tenfold mystery to the 

 scene. I seemed moving through a boundless world 

 of shadows, with nothing clear and natural but the 

 bright constellations below me. 



Thus we passed on for a mile, without a whisper or 

 sign having passed between us. At length the canoe 

 entered what seemed at first a deep bay, but soon 

 changed to the mouth of a gloomy cavern. I leaned 

 forward, striving in vain to make out the misshapen 

 objects before me; but the more I looked, the more 

 confused I grew, while, to add to my bewilderment, 

 suddenly the dim outlines I was struggling to make 



