340 THE TENTH DAY. 



sweetest, brightest scenes of my past life, illuminated by 

 the faces I most dearly loved; but all this, so to speak, 

 was spiritualized. 



It was not the reality which struck my eyes, but a 

 kind of celestial world peopled with vaporous angels ; 

 they looked at me with a touching and tender air, shed- 

 ding abundant tears at my miserable fate, bending 

 towards me, and wreathing themselves in mazy and 

 voluptuous dances. I extended my arms to seize these 

 enchanting images, and suddenly a terrible internal agony 

 dissipated the intoxicating spectacle, and restored me to 

 the awful reality. I began again to live ; but what a life ! 



In this wise I dragged myself along for ten weary 

 days ! 



I still retained my gun, but as it was a heavy weapon, 

 it seemed to me that I was carrying a giant's club. Its 

 weight bowed me down, and caused me the most horrible 

 suffering; I sometimes thought that the shoulder which 

 supported it was bare to the very bone. I often longed 

 to rid myself of the burden; but I always resisted the 

 temptation. I could not endure the idea of perishing 

 without a struggle for life, and wished, if I should en- 

 counter the Comanches, to die in battle. Moreover, it 

 was my only means of keeping the cayeutes at a distance ; 

 and nothing appeared to me more horrible than the pros- 

 pect of falling a prey to these ferocious beasts. 



Almost dead with hunger, fatigue, and thirst, I felt 

 myself incapable of struggling any longer against the 

 destiny which overwhelmed me, when I suddenly caught 

 sight of a Something in the prairie which, from afar, had 

 all the appearance of a clump of trees. At this spectacle 



