Par.

  1 1 |         country house last summer on the banks of the Seine, several
  2 1 |          last summer on the banks of the Seine, several leagues from
  3 1 |              After a few days I made the acquaintance of one of my
  4 1 |             forty, who certainly was the most curious specimen I
  5 1 |        boating. He was always beside the water, on the water, or
  6 1 |          always beside the water, on the water, or in the water.
  7 1 |           water, on the water, or in the water. He must have been
  8 1 |           certainly die in a boat at the last.~
  9 2 |             as we were walking along the banks of the Seine I asked
 10 2 |           walking along the banks of the Seine I asked him to tell
 11 2 |            stories about his life on the water. The good man at once
 12 2 |         about his life on the water. The good man at once became
 13 3 |           streets know nothing about the river. But listen to a fisherman
 14 3 |             fisherman as he mentions the word. To him it is a mysterious
 15 3 |      cemetery -- and it is, in fact, the most sinister of cemeteries,
 16 4 |                                      The land seems limited to the
 17 4 |            The land seems limited to the river boatman, and on dark
 18 4 |               when there is no moon, the river seems limitless. A
 19 4 |          limitless. A sailor has not the same feeling for the sea.
 20 4 |             not the same feeling for the sea. It is often remorseless
 21 4 |              it roars, it is honest, the great sea; while the river
 22 4 |         honest, the great sea; while the river is silent and perfidious.
 23 4 |             more terrible to me than the high waves of the ocean.~
 24 4 |            me than the high waves of the ocean.~
 25 5 |               Dreamers maintain that the sea hides in its bosom vast
 26 5 |           who are drowned roam among the big fishes, amid strange
 27 5 |        forests and crystal grottoes. The river has only black depths
 28 5 |             depths where one rots in the slime. It is beautiful,
 29 5 |         however, when it sparkles in the light of the rising sun
 30 5 |             sparkles in the light of the rising sun and gently laps
 31 6 |                                      The poet says, speaking of the
 32 6 |           The poet says, speaking of the ocean,~
 33 8 |                          Deep waves, the dread of kneeling mothers'
 34 11|                                      The sad despairing tones unto
 35 13|                   Well, I think that the stories whispered by the
 36 13|             the stories whispered by the slender reeds, with their
 37 13|           must be more sinister than the lugubrious tragedies told
 38 13|         lugubrious tragedies told by the roaring of the waves.~
 39 13|     tragedies told by the roaring of the waves.~
 40 15|            his bare neck, to go into the Supreme Court, was living
 41 15|         Supreme Court, was living in the village of C., two leagues
 42 15|             two leagues further down the river. We dined together
 43 16|          moments to draw breath near the reed-covered point yonder,
 44 16|              two hundred metres from the railway bridge.~
 45 17|             was a magnificent night, the moon shone brightly, the
 46 17|             the moon shone brightly, the river gleamed, the air was
 47 17|         brightly, the river gleamed, the air was calm and soft. This
 48 17|              anchor and cast it into the river.~
 49 18|                                      The boat floated downstream
 50 18|              floated downstream with the current, to the end of the
 51 18|      downstream with the current, to the end of the chain, and then
 52 18|           the current, to the end of the chain, and then stopped,
 53 18|               and I seated myself in the stern on my sheepskin and
 54 18|             imperceptible lapping of the water against the bank,
 55 18|         lapping of the water against the bank, and I noticed taller
 56 19|                                      The river was perfectly calm,
 57 19|              felt myself affected by the unusual silence that surrounded
 58 19|              that surrounded me. All the creatures, frogs and toads,
 59 19|           those nocturnal singers of the marsh, were silent.~
 60 20|         pipes, I could not smoke; at the second draw I was nauseated,
 61 20|             trying. I began to sing. The sound of my voice was distressing
 62 20|             lay still, but presently the slight motion of the boat
 63 20|       presently the slight motion of the boat disturbed me. It seemed
 64 20|        lurches, from bank to bank of the river, touching each bank
 65 20|           being, were drawing her to the surface of the water and
 66 20|        drawing her to the surface of the water and lifting her out,
 67 20|            feet with a single bound. The water was glistening, all
 68 21|              and I resolved to leave the spot. I pulled the anchor
 69 21|             leave the spot. I pulled the anchor chain, the boat began
 70 21|             pulled the anchor chain, the boat began to move; then
 71 21|         resistance. I pulled harder, the anchor did not come up;
 72 21|           had caught on something at the bottom of the river and
 73 21|           something at the bottom of the river and I could not raise
 74 21|               with my oars, I turned the boat with its head up stream
 75 21|             head up stream to change the position of the anchor.
 76 21|            to change the position of the anchor. It was no use, it
 77 21|           flew into a rage and shook the chain furiously. Nothing
 78 21|          chain, or detaching it from the boat, for it was massive
 79 21|           massive and was riveted at the bows to a piece of wood
 80 21|         thick as my arm. However, as the weather was so fine I thought
 81 21|             and was able to laugh at the situation. It was very warm;
 82 21|              I could sleep out under the stars without any great
 83 22|          there was a little knock at the side of the boat. I gave
 84 22|          little knock at the side of the boat. I gave a start, and
 85 22|         sweat broke out all over me. The noise was, doubtless, caused
 86 22|         piece of wood borne along by the current, but that was enough,
 87 22|          nervous agitation. I seized the chain and tensed my muscles
 88 22|       muscles in a desperate effort. The anchor held firm. I sat
 89 23|                                      The river had slowly become
 90 23|         white fog which lay close to the water, so that when I stood
 91 23|         stood up I could see neither the river, nor my feet, nor
 92 23|              but could perceive only the tops of the reeds, and farther
 93 23|            perceive only the tops of the reeds, and farther off in
 94 23|            reeds, and farther off in the distance the plain, lying
 95 23|          farther off in the distance the plain, lying white in the
 96 23|            the plain, lying white in the moonlight, with big black
 97 23|            rising up from it towards the sky, which were formed by
 98 23|       poplars. I was as if buried to the waist in a cloud of cotton
 99 23|         longer distinguish, and that the river, hidden by the thick
100 23|            that the river, hidden by the thick fog, was full of strange
101 23|        thought of swimming away from the place. But then, again,
102 23|              place. But then, again, the very idea made me tremble
103 23|           fog, struggling about amid the grasses and reeds which
104 23|            with fear, neither seeing the bank, nor finding my boat;
105 23|          feel myself dragged down by the feet to the bottom of these
106 23|          dragged down by the feet to the bottom of these black waters.~
107 24|            should have had to ascend the stream at least five hundred
108 24|             could not find my way in the fog and that I should drown,
109 25|             realize, as on that day, the existence in us of two rival
110 25| personalities, one desiring a thing, the other resisting, and each
111 25|          resisting, and each winning the day in turn.~
112 26|             eyes staring, my ears on the stretch with expectation.
113 26|             to a fish to jump out of the water, as often happens,
114 27|             all my might towards all the points of the compass in
115 27|            towards all the points of the compass in succession. When
116 28|              stretched myself out at the bottom of the boat. I remained
117 28|          myself out at the bottom of the boat. I remained there about
118 28|           though my life depended on the slightest sound that I might
119 28|          might make; and looked over the edge of the boat. I was
120 28|              looked over the edge of the boat. I was dazzled by the
121 28|           the boat. I was dazzled by the most marvellous, the most
122 28|              by the most marvellous, the most astonishing sight that
123 29|                                      The fog which, two hours before,
124 29|         hours before, had floated on the water, had gradually cleared
125 29|            cleared off and massed on the banks, leaving the river
126 29|         massed on the banks, leaving the river absolutely clear;
127 29|          metres high, which shone in the moonlight with the dazzling
128 29|          shone in the moonlight with the dazzling brilliance of snow.
129 29|            snow. One saw nothing but the river gleaming with light
130 29|            high above my head sailed the great full moon, in the
131 29|              the great full moon, in the midst of a bluish, milky
132 30|                                  All the creatures in the water were
133 30|                 All the creatures in the water were awake. The frogs
134 30|             in the water were awake. The frogs croaked furiously,
135 30|            moments I heard, first to the right and then to the left,
136 30|             to the right and then to the left, the abrupt, monotonous
137 30|          right and then to the left, the abrupt, monotonous and mournful
138 30|            mournful metallic note of the bullfrogs. Strange to say,
139 30|              longer afraid. I was in the midst of such an unusual
140 30|            an unusual landscape that the most remarkable things would
141 31|        asleep. When I opened my eyes the moon had gone down and the
142 31|           the moon had gone down and the sky was full of clouds.
143 31|              sky was full of clouds. The water lapped mournfully,
144 31|             water lapped mournfully, the wind was blowing, it was
145 31|              was pitch dark. I drank the rest of the rum, then listened,
146 31|            dark. I drank the rest of the rum, then listened, while
147 31|       listened, while I trembled, to the rustling of the reeds and
148 31|         trembled, to the rustling of the reeds and the foreboding
149 31|            rustling of the reeds and the foreboding sound of the
150 31|              the foreboding sound of the river. I tried to see, but
151 32|           Little by little, however, the blackness became less intense.
152 32|               together, we pulled at the anchor chain. The anchor
153 32|          pulled at the anchor chain. The anchor did not move. Day
154 32|          another boat. We hailed it. The man on board of her joined
155 32|       efforts to ours, and gradually the anchor yielded. It rose,
156 32|             drew it on board. It was the corpse of an old women with