IN THE CATSKILLS 



precipitate as if the whole swarm was still at his 

 back. 



No smoke or smudge which we ourselves could 

 endure was sufficient in the earlier part of that even- 

 ing to prevent serious annoyance from the same 

 cause; but later a respite was granted us. 



About ten o'clock, as we stood round our camp- 

 fire, we were startled by a brief but striking display 

 of the aurora borealis. My imagination had already 

 been excited by talk of legends and of weird shapes 

 and appearances, and when, on looking up toward 

 the sky, I saw those pale, phantasmal waves of 

 magnetic light chasing each other across the little 

 opening above our heads, and at first sight seem- 

 ing barely to clear the treetops, I was as vividly 

 impressed as if I had caught a glimpse of a verita- 

 ble spectre of the Neversink. The sky shook and 

 trembled like a great white curtain. 



After we had climbed to our loft and had lain 

 down to sleep, another adventure befell us. This 

 tune a new and uninviting customer appeared upon 

 the scene, the genius loci of the old stable, namely, 

 the " fretful porcupine." We had seen the marks 

 and work of these animals about the shanty, and 

 had been careful each night to hang our traps, 

 guns, etc., beyond their reach, but of the prickly 

 night-walker himself we feared we should not get 

 a view. 



We had lain down some half hour, and I was just 

 204 



