PHANTOM FALLS. 149 



with a motion as when one shakes his head with 

 disappointment, it turned away, and the canoe, 

 as if impelled by a paddle, described a circle, and 

 glided, with the wliite form in it, around the 

 point." 



John paused. That his narrative was honest I 

 had no doubt. Every tone and syllable proved it. 

 I did not know precisely what to say, so we sat for 

 a while in profound silence. At last John started 

 up, seized hold of the end of a large log which the 

 fire had burned through in the middle, ended it 

 aver upon the pile of glowing coals, and as he 

 seated himself said, — 



" Well, Mr. Murray, what do you think of -it ? " 



Rising to my feet, I turned about so as to face 

 him, and responded : — 



" John, I do not doubt that you think you saw 

 what you say you did see ; but I do not believe that 

 you really saw any such sight after all. The fact is, 

 John, it was what the doctors would call a mental 

 delusion. You were very tired; you had heard 

 the old story about the place — Be still, Eover, 

 will you ! " I exclaimed, interrupting myself to 

 touch the old dog with my foot, as he rose to his 

 feet, lifted his nose into the air, and began to 

 whimper, — " it is nothing but a wolf or a wildcat, 

 you old fool you ; lie down. — The fact is, John," 

 I resumed, " you were very tired that night ; you 

 had often heard the story about the place; you 



