A BAY- SIDE OUTING. 65 



Laden with valued spoils, we at last reluct- 

 antly drew near the village, and would that it 

 had been wrapped in Egyptian darkness ! How 

 the aged villagers scowled at us as we passed by ! 

 The lame, the halt, the blind, all came hobbling 

 to the front windows of their homes and hurled 

 silent imprecations after us. What a sad ending to 

 our happy day ! and why, forsooth ? In our inno- 

 cent zeal, we had disturbed the bones of a few In- 

 dian fishermen that for centuries had been resting 

 in perfect peace. We, the irate villagers claimed, 

 being in full possession of good health, could with- 

 stand the fury of the outraged spirits of departed 

 red-skins, but not so the afflicted villagers. Every 

 rheumatic crone averred that her pains had grown 

 to agony since we broke the sod. Invisible arrows 

 had whizzed by their ears, and more than one suf- 

 ferer had been struck, as the red marks upon their 

 persons proved. Vengeance had gone astray 

 and sorely pressed the innocent ; while the guilty 

 walked without shame through the long village 

 street. This was indeed adding insult to injury. 



Speaking for myself, did I know the meaning 

 of the word " impatience," I should have been 

 vexed. As it was, the day deserved to be record- 

 ed in red letters. 



As a lover of quiet country strolls, I had been 

 happy beyond measure, but the way of the 

 archaeologist, it would seem, is beset with thorns. 



