groped my way to the dark interior, closed it again behind me. There was
no light for me except the light of the stars; for directly opposite the
door by which I had entered stood another, open wide to the night, which
was apparently not intended ever to be closed. The prospect was the one
I had already seen--the wilderness sloping to the river, and the glassy
surface of the broad water, reflecting the stars, and the black masses
of large trees. There was no sound save the hooting of an owl in the
distance, and the wailing note of some mournful-minded water-fowl. The
night air blew in cold and moist, which made my bones ache, though they
were not broken; and feeling very sleepy and miserable, I groped about
until I Was rewarded by discovering a narrow bed, or cot of
trellis-work, on which was a hard straw pallet and a small straw pillow;
also, folded small, a kind of woolen sleeping garment. Too tired to keep
out of even such an uninviting bed, I flung off my clothes, and with my
moldy tweeds for only covering I laid me down, but not to sleep. The
misery of it! for although my body was warm--too warm, in fact--the wind
blew on my face and bare feet and legs, and made it impossible to sleep.

About midnight, I was just falling into a doze when a sound as of a
person coming with a series of jumps into the room disturbed me; and
starting up I was horrified to see, sitting on the floor, a great beast
much too big for a dog, with large, erect ears. He was intently watching
me, his round eyes shining like a pair of green phosphorescent globes.
Having no weapon, I was at the brute's mercy, and was about to utter a
loud shout to summon assistance, but as he sat so still I refrained, and
began even to hope that he would go quietly away. Then he stood up, went
back to the door and sniffed audibly at it; and thinking that he was
about to relieve me of his unwelcome presence, I dropped my head on the
pillow and lay perfectly still. Then he turned and glared at me again,
and finally, advancing deliberately to my side, sniffed at my face. It