remember sunrises in the morning mist, floating, wandering vapors, which
were as pale as death, before the sun rose, and then as its first rays
glided over the meadows, lighted up with a rosy tint, which delighted
the heart. And then again, I have recollections of the moon silvering
the running, trembling water, with a brightness which made dreams
flourish. And all this, the symbol of eternal illusions, rose up in me
on that turbid water, which was carrying all the filth of Paris towards
the sea.

"And then, what a merry life it was, with my companions. There were five
of us, a band of grave men we are now; and as we were all poor, we had
founded an inexpressible colony in a horrible eating house at
Argenteuil, and which possessed only one bedroom, where I have
certainly spent some of the maddest nights of my life. We cared for
nothing except for amusing ourselves and rowing, for we all worshiped
the oar, with one exception. I remember such singular adventures, such
unlikely tricks invented by those five rascals, that no one would
believe them at present. People do not live like that any longer, even
on the Seine, for our mad fancies which we kept up, have died out now.

"We five only possessed one boat, which we had bought with great
difficulty, and on which we laughed, as we shall never laugh again. It
was a large yawl, called _The Leaf Turned Upside Down_, rather heavy,
but spacious and comfortable. I shall not describe my companions to you.
There was one little fellow, called _Petit Bleu_, who was very sharp; a
tall man, with a savage look, gray eyes and black hair, who was
nick-named _Tomahawk_, the only one who never touched an oar, as he said
he should upset the boat; a slender, elegant man, who was very careful
about his person, and whom we called _Only-One-Eye_, in remembrance of a
recent story about Cladel, and because he wore a single eyeglass, and,