260 MY AMERICAN FRIENDS -

forgotten) of the sufferings and adventures of
their ancestors. One figure, however, Stands out
clearly marked in my memory.

In company with some friends I went one day
to explore a vast and lonely lake in the back-
woods. In the middle of the lake our motor-
boat completely broke down, leaving us helpless,
with no food, no oars or other means of getting
ashore, and no prospect of rescue. The weather
was perfectly calm, but our spirits were much
perturbed. By good luck, however, a light wind
sprang up towards nightfall which gradually
drifted the boat into shallow water, so that
finally we were able to wade ashore. We found
ourselves on the edge of a seemingly interminable
forest with no visible sign of human habitation.
With much difficulty we made our way inland
and finally came to a clearing, in the middle of
which stood a large log-house with a light burning
in one of the windows. Here we were very
courteously received, in response to our mid-
night knockings, by a tall and dignified man
well advanced in years, with a countenance
and flowing beard worthy of the patriarch Moses,
With manners befitting a grand seigneur he
listened to the story of our plight and at once
offered us the hospitality of his house. The
food he set at the table was abundant and of the
best quality; the house well furnished; the sleep-
ing quarters spotlessly clean; there was a library
of good books, a piano and many other indications