MYSTERIOUS RIDE. 187 



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 sparkled 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 beneath 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 strangeness 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 ten- 

 fold 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 continued on for a mile, without a whisper 

 or sign having passed between us. At length the ca- 

 noe 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 



