moment did he attribute to any
strength of mind on his own part, the escape which had just been
effected from the snares set by the evil one. No; he acknowledged within
himself, and with all due humility, that the hand of the Almighty had
sustained him in his most trying moments of peril; and ere he thought of
resuming his journey to that side of the island on which Nisida was not,
he knelt in fervent prayer. Rising from his knees, his eyes accidentally
swept the sea:--and he was riveted to the spot from which he was about
to turn away--for the white sails of the Ottoman fleet met his
astonished view. He remained gazing on those objects for some time,
until he was convinced they were nearing the island. For a few moments a
deep regret took possession of him:--he should lose his Nisida
irrevocably! But his next impulse was to wrestle with this feeling--to
combat this weakness. How could he have hoped ever to rejoin her without
rendering himself again liable to the witchery of her siren tongue--the
eloquence of her silver-toned voice--the persuasiveness of her graceful
manners? No; it were better that she should depart; it were preferable
that he should lose her and preserve his immortal soul. Thus reasoned
he;--and that reasoning was effectual. He waited only long enough to
assure himself that the fleet was positively approaching the island:--he
then knew that she would depart;--and, without permitting himself to
yield again to the weakness which had for a few moments threatened to
send him back within the sphere of Nisida's fatal influence, he tore
himself away from that point amongst the heights which commanded the
view of the side of the island where she was. Hastening around the base
of the volcano, he reached the defiles leading to that part of the isle
where he had periodically fulfilled his dreadful destiny as a Wehr-Wolf.
Carefully avoiding the outskirts of the forest and the knots of large
trees, he proceeded toward the shore; and his heart was rent with
feelings of deep anguish as he everywhere beheld the traces of
destruction left behind him by his recent run in the horrible form of a
savage monster. Then, too, when melancholy thoughts had once again
entered his soul, the image of Nisida appeared to flit before him in the
most tempting manner; and the more he endeavored to banish from his
memory the recollection of her charms, the more vividly delineated did
they become.

At length jealousy took possession of