I thought at
first that he had gone mad, but on returning to the
house found no other alteration in his manner than
what was obviously due to fear of punishment.
'Can a dog see with his nose? Do odours impress
some cerebral centre with images of the thing that
emitted them? . . .
'Sept. 2.--Looking at the stars last night as they
rose above the crest of the ridge east of the house,
I observed them successively disappear--from left
to right. Each was eclipsed but an instant, and only
a few at the same time, but along the entire length
of the ridge all that were within a degree or two of
the crest were blotted out. It was as if something
had passed along between me and them; but I could
not see it, and the stars were not thick enough to
define its outline. Ugh! don't like this.' . . .
Several weeks' entries are missing, three leaves
being torn from the book.
'Sept. 27.--It has been about here again--I
find evidences of its presence every day. I watched
again all last night in the same cover, gun in hand,
double-charged with buckshot. In the morning the
fresh footprints were there, as before. Yet I would
have sworn that I did not sleep--indeed, I hardly
sleep at all. It is terrible, insupportable! If these
amazing experiences are real I shall go mad; if they
are fanciful I am mad already.
'Oct. 3.--I shall not go--it shall not drive me
away. No, this is my house, my land.
Pages:
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218