A TALE OF THE GRAND JAEDIN 



" There fell upon me that afternoon 

 one of those oppressions of the spirit 

 that never weigh so heavily as when 

 they visit you in the full tide of health, 

 under the wide and kindly sky. How 

 shall one account for the apprehensions 

 that crowd upon you, and seem not to 

 have their birth within ? In what subtle 

 way does the universe convey the know- 

 ledge that it has ceased to be friendly? 

 Even in the full sunlight, the idea of 

 spending a night there alone was un- 

 welcome. 



"Soon after arriving I had despatch- 

 ed my men to La Galette for supplies, as 

 we did to-day, but the distance is shorter 

 by the old Chemin de Canot trail, and 

 they should easily return before sunset. 

 Although knowing this well, and that 

 nothing but serious mischance would de- 

 tain them, it was with a very definite 

 sense of uneasiness that I watched the 

 canoe cross the lake, saw them disem- 

 bark, and in a few seconds disappear. 



156 



