At St. Mary's 



to bed, so quiet was the night. During 

 one of my waking spells the moon came 

 out from behind a towering crag. Its 

 white light covered the forest and all 

 about us, and made the cheerful glow of 

 the fire appear a flickering red. Its rays 

 slowly passed from peak to peak, from 

 cliff to cliff, leaving in the recesses grew- 

 some shadows, and lighting up and bring- 

 ing nearer the projecting rocks. A huge 

 snow-bank on the mountain-side was 

 sought out, and made to do its part in 

 illuminating the night with its countless 

 numbers of sparkling jewels. The mar- 

 mots came out from their homes in the 

 rocks ; and their shrill whistling soon filled 

 the night-air, echoing back and forth from 

 wall to wall, and sounding weird and un- 

 canny to the ear. 



No, on the whole, that was not an un- 

 pleasant night ; and when dawn appeared, 

 and roused me out of my waking dreams, 

 it was almost with a shock that I remem- 

 bered where I was, and the practical na- 

 ture of the cause of my being there. 



Long before sunrise we were in our 

 hiding-place of the evening before, shiver- 

 ing with the cold, and parrying, with cau- 

 tious movements, the repeated attacks of 

 the mosquitoes. 



288 



