ON THE COAST OF ABB AN 87 



crest of a low hill towards the east. It was so 

 large and brilliant that we were all mistaken as 

 to its nature. We said, ' Some shepherd is 

 abroad with his lantern, folding the flocks or 

 seeking for strayed sheep.' But when we 

 looked again we saw it was the evening star, 

 preternaturally large, and climbing above the 

 ridge. As we go forward it disappears ; but by 

 stepping slowly back we reproduce the aspect of 

 its rising. On the road by the shore there is 

 a stillness such as we have not experienced 

 before. There is no wind. The wood on our 

 right is silent ; not a leaf rustles ; no bird 

 moves ; even the wild pigeons are at rest. The 

 sea on our left is silent also. Though we stand 

 and listen intently we cannot hear a wave 

 break on the shore. At last, when our ears 

 are stretched to the utmost, a fish leaps, and 

 is heard falling back into the water. As we get 

 nearer the village, sounds begin to reach us, 

 and the first is the voice of a boy, who, as he 



