ive with
fire-flies. These beautiful little insects sat upon the trees and
bushes, spangling them as with living diamonds, and flew about in the
air like little wandering stars. Barney had seen them before, in the
West Indies, but Martin had only heard of them; and his delight and
amazement at their extreme brilliancy were very great. Although he was
naturally anxious to reach the light in the valley, in the hope that it
might prove to proceed from some cottage, he could not refrain from
stopping once or twice to catch these lovely creatures; and when he
succeeded in doing so, and placed one on the palm of his hand, the light
emitted from it was more brilliant than that of a small taper, and much
more beautiful, for it was of a bluish colour, and very intense,--more
like the light reflected from a jewel than a flame of fire. He could
have read a book by means of it quite easily.

In half an hour they drew near to the light, which they found proceeded
from the window of a small cottage or hut.

"Whist, Martin," whispered Barney, as they approached the hut on tiptoe;
"there may be savages into it, an' there's no sayin' what sort o'
craturs they are in them parts."

When about fifty yards distant, they could see through the open window
into the room where the light burned; and what they beheld there was
well calculated to fill them with surprise. On a rude wooden chair, at
a rough unpainted table, a man was seated, with his head resting on his
hand, and his eyes fixed intently on a book. Owing to the distance, and
the few leaves and branches that intervened between them and the hut,
they could not observe him very distinctly. But it was evident that he
was a large and strong man, a little past the prime of life. The hair
of his head and beard was black and bushy, and streaked with
silver-grey. His face was massive, and of a dark olive complexion, with
an expression of sadness on it strangely mingled with stern gravity.
His broad shoulders--and, indeed, his whole person--were enveloped in
the coarse folds of a long gown or robe, gathered in at the waist with a
broad band of leather.

The room in which he sat--or rather the hut, for there was but one room
in it--was destitute of all furniture, except that already mentioned,
besides one or two roughly-formed stools; but the walls were completely
covered with strange-looking implements and trophies of the chase; and
in a corner lay a confused pile of books, some o