d itself along without strength, before taking
its leisurely ascent, which began in the dawn's eye above the ocean.

On this day, the usual rosy tints were not seen; all remained pale and
mournful. On board the gray ship, Yann wept alone. The tears of the
fierce elder brother, together with the melancholy of this surrounding
waste, were as mourning, worn in honour of the poor, obscure, young
hero, upon these seas of Iceland, where half his life had been passed.

When the full light of day appeared, Yann abruptly wiped his eyes
with his sleeve and ceased weeping. That grief was over now. He seemed
completely absorbed by the work of the fishery, and by the monotonous
routine of substantial deeds, as if he never had thought of anything
else.

The catching went on apace, and there were scant hands for the work.
Around about the fishers, in the immense depths, a transformation scene
was taking place. The grand opening out of the infinitude, that great
wonder of the morning, had finished, and the distance seemed to diminish
and close in around them. How was it that before the sea had seemed so
boundless!

The horizon was quite clear now, and more space seemed necessary. The
void filled in with flecks and streamers that floated above, some vague
as mist, others with visibly jagged edges. They fell softly amid an
utter silence, like snowy gauze, but fell on all sides together, so that
below them suffocation set in swiftly; it took away the breath to see
the air so thickened.

It was the first of the August fogs that was rising. In a few moments
the winding-sheet became universally dense; all around the _Marie_
a white damp lay under the light, and in it the mast faded and
disappeared.

"Here's the cursed fog now, for sure," grumbled the men. They had long
ago made the acquaintance of that compulsory companion of the second
part of the fishing season; but it also announced its end and the time
for returning to Brittany.

It condensed into fine, sparkling drops in their beards, and shone upon
their weather-beaten faces. Looking athwart ship to one another, they
appeared dim as ghosts; and by comparison, nearer objects were seen more
clearly under the colourless light. They took care not to inhale the air
too deeply, for a feeling of chill and wet penetrated the lungs.

But the fishing was going on briskly, so that they had no time left to
chatter, and they only thought of their lines. Every moment big heavy
fish were dr