hung in motionless mist on the hills, creeping vineyard
by vineyard up to the mountains. Marie, though less
vigorous since the birth of Loup, was able to take up
her old busy existence; Jouse and Anfos worked in the
shop; Christophe crawled in the shavings or slept
in the sunshine; Mireio eternally hunted her ticks,
and Eusebe squatted among his sandals. While
down at the port Goundran painted his boat a bright
green that matched certain moods of the sea; and a
band of deep blue his boat must have also — deep blue
and bright green for the sea in a mistraL
The port smelt of tar, fishing tackle and wine as the
sun beat down in his full August glory, making the
tar turn sticky on the planks, and the scales that still
clung to the fishermen's nets gleam softly like strange,
opalescent jewels, and the dregs that still lurked in
the empty wine casks reek with a queer, very ancient
reek which stirred thoughts of the Godless god that
was Bacchus. For now in this tranquil, propitious
weather, there had come the tartanes with their
broad lateen sails, bringing the casks to be filled with
wine — the casks which a man could roll with such
ease when empty, but which when their round bellies
were full needed two men or more to attend to the
rolling. Once loaded the tartanes would sail down the
coast, their decks darkly stained, their hulls low to
water; while some, greatly daring, might put out to
sea and steer for the shores of Africa where the
Provencal wines found an excellent market. The
crews of the tartanes, when they came ashore, would
be treated to drinks, and thi$ fairly often, for these
were adventurous fellows who, when drunk, could be
trusted to tell many full-blooded yarns, most of which
would be closely connected with women. They could
also tell of a wind far more deadly than that which
came from the desert of La Crau, so well known to all
those who lived in Saint Loup that its advent had
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