companion again: they then took the glowworm and held its
luminous tail to the dark earthly pellet; when lo, it shot up
into the air like a sky-rocket, seldom, however, reaching the
height of the highest tree. Just like a rocket too, it burst in
the air, and fell in a shower of the most gorgeously coloured
sparks of every variety of hue; golden and red, and purple and
green, and blue and rosy fires crossed and inter-crossed each
other, beneath the shadowy heads, and between the columnar stems
of the forest trees. They never used the same glowworm twice, I
observed; but let him go, apparently uninjured by the use they
had made of him.

In other parts, the whole of the immediately surrounding foliage
was illuminated by the interwoven dances in the air of splendidly
coloured fire-flies, which sped hither and thither, turned,
twisted, crossed, and recrossed, entwining every complexity of
intervolved motion. Here and there, whole mighty trees glowed
with an emitted phosphorescent light. You could trace the very
course of the great roots in the earth by the faint light that
came through; and every twig, and every vein on every leaf was a
streak of pale fire.

All this time, as I went through the wood, I was haunted with the
feeling that other shapes, more like my own size and mien, were
moving about at a little distance on all sides of me. But as yet
I could discern none of them, although the moon was high enough
to send a great many of her rays down between the trees, and
these rays were unusually bright, and sight-giving,
notwithstanding she was only a half-moon. I constantly imagined,
however, that forms were visible in all directions except that to