Chap. XII. 
A MOONLIGHT SCENE. 
197 
day when the trumpet of the archangel shall sound, and 
the grave shall give up its dead. 
On a kind of flat terrace in front of this tomb I 
observed the names of each of its occupants, and the 
remains of incense-sticks which had been burning but 
a short time before, when the periodical visit to the 
tombs was paid. I was afterwards told by the high 
priest that there was still room for one more within the 
rocky cave. That one, he said, was himself; and the 
old man seemed to look forward to the time when he 
must be laid in his grave as not far distant. 
As I was now in the vicinity of the temples, and there 
was no longer any danger of my losing my way, I was in 
no hurry to go in -doors. The shades of evening gra- 
dually closed in, and it was night on Woo-e-shan. A 
solemn stillness reigned around, which was broken only 
by the occasional sound of a gong or bell in the temple, 
where some priest was engaged in his evening devotions. 
In the mean time the moon had risen, and the scene 
appeared, if possible, more striking than it had been in 
daylight. The strange rocks, as they reared their 
rugged forms high above the temples, partly in bright 
light and partly in deep shade, had a curious and 
unnatural appearance. On the opposite side the wood 
assumed a dark and dense appearance, and down in the 
bottom of the dell the little lake sparkled as if covered 
Avith gems. 
I sat down on a ledge of rock, and my eyes wan- 
dered over these remarkable objects. Was it a reality 
or a dream, or was I in some fairy-land ? The longer 
I looked the more indistinct the objects became, and 
