nother minute stood beyond its boundary, finding myself
upon a broad expanse of rugged, open moorland, at the farther extremity
of which the ground again rose steeply until it terminated in what was
evidently the ridge of the mountain-chain running north and south
through the island.

Two circumstances struck me at the same moment on emerging into the
open, one of which was that a heavy thunder-storm was rapidly working up
against the wind, the other being that a hut or hovel of some sort stood
about half a mile distant.

The question immediately arose in my mind whether I should approach this
building, upon the chance of obtaining a night's lodging therein, or
whether it would be more prudent to pass the night and brave the
gathering storm in the open. I might of course have returned to the
comparative shelter of the wood, but I should have been obliged to
penetrate it for some distance before it would be thick enough to afford
me the slightest protection from the deluge of rain which was coming up
in those black and threatening clouds, and, in addition to this, I felt
that, while only inadequately sheltered from the rain, I should be
exposed to the very serious danger of being struck by lightning. Then
again, it was possible that the hut might be deserted, in which case I
need have no hesitation about availing myself of its shelter. There was
of course, on the other hand, a chance of its being inhabited, but if
so, its occupant would probably be no one more dangerous than a simple
herd or wood-cutter, and it was not from such that I had anything to
fear. As I stood irresolute, turning these matters over in my mind, a
vivid flash of lightning, followed, after a pause of some seconds, by
the long reverberating roll of distant thunder, reminded me of the
desirability of coming to a decision, one way or another, without delay;
I accordingly made up my mind to risk going to the hut, rather than
remain exposed to the storm.

I therefore hurried forward, the lightning meanwhile flashing out more
and more vividly, and at shorter intervals; the thunder sounding louder
and nearer at every discharge; and the vast curtain of cloud spreading
rapidly athwart the sky, obliterating the stars, and enveloping nature
in a pall of awful gloom.

On approaching the hut, it became apparent that it was uninhabited, for
the door hung pendent from one hinge, the other being wrenched off,
while of the two small windows which admitted li