VOICES FROM HADES. 225 



Presently, Dobeen resumed his droning, which had 

 been suspended for a few moments, this time singing 

 some snatches from an old Irish ballad. The last words 

 were just dying away, when I started to my feet in 

 horror. What an infernal chorus filled the air ! Each 

 point of the compass was represented, and we were 

 wrapped around with a discordant, fiendish cordon of 

 sound. Bursting upon us with a deep mocking cry, 

 it ended abruptly in a wild " Ha-ha ! " It was such 

 a chorus as pours through Hades, when some poet 

 opens, for an instant, the gate of the damned. Our 

 poor Irishman, at the first sound, had fallen from the 

 log as if shot, but had suddenly sprung to his feet, 

 and was now performing a terror-dance behind the 

 fire with a club. For a moment, I, too, had taken the 

 outburst for the war-whoop of savages, but was saved 

 from a panic by seeing through the gloom the figure 

 of the sentinel still at his post, and the next instant 

 the voice of the guide was lifted, with the re-assur- 

 ing intelligence — " Only cayotes, gentlemen, only cay- 

 otes ! " 



Mr. Sachem and Mr. Muggs had been lying close 

 behind me in their blankets. The former had given 

 a terrified snort, and then both lay motionless. After 

 the alarm, Sachem admitted that he was frightened. 

 Had always heard that people shot over instead of 

 under the mark in battle. Was resolved to lay low 

 Had no high views about such things. Muggs had 

 not thought it worth while to get up. Knew they 

 were wolves. Had heard more hextraordinary 'owls 

 before he came to the blarsted country. 



But where was the doctor? Echo answered, 



