A TALE OF THE GRAND JARDIN 



"The afternoon wore away in little 

 occupations about the camp, and in fish- 

 ing along the shore ; later on I intended 

 to scramble around the edge of the lake 

 to the canoe, and try casting in the 

 middle. Out there, quite beyond the 

 reach of my flies, one tremendous rise 

 showed that Duchene's stories were 

 not wholly fables, and when evening fell 

 there might be a chance to prove them 

 true. But this fortune was not for me ; 

 another must discover the secrets of that 

 mysterious water. 



"Already the barometer had shown 

 that a swift change of weather was at 

 hand; gradually, and scarcely percept- 

 ibly, the ever thickening veil of cirrus 

 mist dimmed the brightness of the sun, 

 until, pale and lifeless, it disappeared 

 in tumultuous clouds that rose to meet 

 it. As the storm came rapidly on, it 

 seemed to me, in the utter stillness, that 

 I could hear the rush of the vapours 

 writhing overhead. Then with a roar 

 11 157 



