hich I could neither see nor hear what was happening; and
that was all I knew for many a day. But all the while I felt myself
being _carried, carried, carried_! One day I realized that I had been
put in a boat; then we went on and on, day after day. Finally the boat
was stopped and I was carried ashore. Then for the first time in many a
long day I was taken from the bag. Again I saw the world about me. But
how different were my surroundings from those of my old home! Where was
I? I was on the very point of land off which you found me this evening.

"For the first few weeks of our stay on the shores of this lonely lake,
things continued almost as they had been at home. The gold was my
master's single thought. He seemed happy, almost joyous, in the thought
that he and I were at last out of the reach of men. Most of his time was
spent looking at his gold. Every morning and every evening he would take
me down to that point yonder where the sun shines clearly, and there
would pour the treasure out in a great pile. He always did this
exultingly. And his greatest pleasure was to play with the yellow coins,
to count them over and over, and to laugh to himself in a satisfied way.

"But after a time I could see that a change was coming over my master.
He grew grave and quiet. No, more, as he poured out his gold, did he
chuckle and laugh to himself. All his movements seemed listless. He
counted his money less frequently, and when he did so it was in a
half-hearted manner. One day I even saw him go away and leave the yellow
heap lying on the sands. At last one day he came, packed the gold in me,
and put in my head with the greatest care. Moreover, when he went back
to the camp, he left me there on the beach! I felt very strange and
lonely, and the night seemed long indeed.

"At last the daybreak came, and glad I was to see it. But it was not
until near sunset that my master came down to the point where I was. His
face was as I had never seen it before. It was the countenance of a man
who had suffered much, and who was still suffering. He came to me,
paused before me, and said: 'For thee, thou cursed gold, I have wasted
my life and ruined my soul!'

"For some time he stood thus looking at me; then he began to walk up and
down the strip of beach, wringing his hands and beating his breast. 'Oh,
if I could only do it!' he kept saying; 'if I could only do it! If I
could, there might be hope, even for me. Lord, help me to do it! Lord,