iver absolutely clear;
while it formed on either bank an uninterrupted wall six or seven metres
high, which shone in the moonlight with the dazzling brilliance of snow.
One saw nothing but the river gleaming with light between these two white
mountains; and high above my head sailed the great full moon, in the
midst of a bluish, milky sky.

All the creatures in the water were awake. The frogs croaked furiously,
while every few moments I heard, first to the right and then to the left,
the abrupt, monotonous and mournful metallic note of the bullfrogs.
Strange to say, I was no longer afraid. I was in the midst of such an
unusual landscape that the most remarkable things would not have
astonished me.

How long this lasted I do not know, for I ended by falling asleep. When I
opened my eyes the moon had gone down and the sky was full of clouds. The
water lapped mournfully, the wind was blowing, it was pitch dark. I drank
the rest of the rum, then listened, while I trembled, to the rustling of
the reeds and the foreboding sound of the river. I tried to see, but
could not distinguish my boat, nor even my hands, which I held up close
to my eyes.

Little by little, however, the blackness became less intense. All at once
I thought I noticed a shadow gliding past, quite near me. I shouted, a
voice replied; it was a fisherman. I called him; he came near and I told
him of my ill-luck. He rowed his boat alongside of mine and, together, we
pulled at the anchor chain. The anchor did not move. Day came, gloomy
gray, rainy and cold, one of those days that bring one sorrows and
misfortunes. I saw another boat. We hailed it. The man on board of her
joined his efforts to ours, and gradually the anchor yielded. It rose,
but slowly, slowly, loaded down by a considerable weight. At length we
perceived a black mass and we drew it on board. It was the corpse of an
old women with a big stone round her neck.

THE CRIPPLE

The following adventure happened to me about 1882. I had just taken the
train and settled down in a corner, hoping that I should be left alone,
when the door suddenly opened again and I heard a voice say: "Take care,
monsieur, we are just at a crossing; the step is very high."

Another voice answered: "That's all right, Laurent, I have a firm hold on
the handle."

Then a head appeared, and two hands seized the leather straps hanging on
either side of the door and slowly pulled up an enormous body, whose feet
striki