l I got about ten quarts of this stuff, which
very well rewarded my labour. After I had extracted as much oil as I
could from the beast-fish, the creature having strongly impressed my
imagination, I conceived a new fancy in relation to it; and that was,
having heard him make a deep, howling groan at his death, I endeavoured
to persuade myself, and at last verily believed, that the voices I
had so often heard in the dark weather proceeded from numbers of these
creatures, diverting themselves in the lake, or sporting together on
the shore; and this thought, in its turn, contributed to ease my
apprehensions in that respect.

CHAPTER XIV.

The author passes the summer pleasantly--Hears the voices in
the winter--Ventures out--Sees a strange sight on the lake--
His uneasiness at it--His dream--Soliloquy--Hears the
voices again, and perceives a great shock on his building--
Takes up a beautiful woman--He thinks her dead, but recovers
her--A description of her--She stays with him

I passed the summer (though I had never yet seen the sun's body) very
much to my satisfaction: partly in the work I have been describing (for
I had taken two more of the beast-fish, and had a great quantity of oil
from them); partly in building me a chimney in my ante-chamber of mud
and earth burnt on my own hearth into a sort of brick; in making a
window at one end of the abovesaid chamber, to let in what little light
would come through the trees when I did not choose to open my door;
in moulding an earthen lamp for my oil; and, finally, in providing and
laying in stores, fresh and salt (for I had now cured and dried many
more fish), against winter. These, I say, were my summer employments
at home, intermixed with many agreeable excursions. But now the winter
coming on, and the days growing very short, or indeed there being no
day properly speaking, but a kind of twilight, I kept mostly in my
habitation, though not so much as I had done the winter before, when I
had no light within doors, and slept, or at least lay still, great
part of my time; for now my lamp was never out. I also turned two of
my beast-fish skins into a rug to cover my bed, and the third into a
cushion, which I always sat upon, and a very soft and warm cushion
it made. All this together rendered my life very easy, yea, even
comfortable.

An indifferent person would now be apt to ask, What would this man
desire more than he had? To this I ans