The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-05-19

From "carct and Olives, by Angus b Eca,

From "Clarct and Olives, 20 by Angus b Reach.
"You can see how fast we'rc going by
the bottom" said the boatman. lcant
over the gunwalc. and looked down. Oh,
the marvellous brightness of that shining
sea | gazed from the boat upon the
sand through the water, almost as YOU
might through the air upon the earth
from n balloon Ghost-lke fish gleam-
ed in the depths, and their shadows fol-
lowed them below upon the ribbed sea
sand Long flowing weeds, like rich
green ribbons, waved and streamed in
the gently running tidal current You
could see the white pebbles and shells
here ridge of rocks, there dark bed
of sea-weod; and now and then a great
flat fish. fer all the world like burnish-
ed pot-lid set in moton-went cleaning
along the bottom.
Once said the boatman, all the bot
tom of this great bay that you are look
ing at was dry land, and there were cot
tages upon it, and an ancient chateau
That was the chateau of Armand de Cha
tel-morant, an old baron of these parts n
wicked man and n great magician, who
had familiar spirit, which came when
he blew horn. and who was able, by his
sorcerics, to rule the winds that blow
Only, once he raised a storm he could
not qucll and it was that storm which
made the Bay of Arcachon; for the
wind blew the sand of the sea-shore mp
the country, like a snowstorm, and the
sand-hills rolled before it; and what the
wind began, the coup de mcr finished,
and the ocean came bursting throuh the
breach it had battered in the sand-ridges
Of the coast, and swallowed up the chat
eau, and drowned the Magician and there
was an end of him"
We'll" said |, so be it; he deserved
his faten
For many year after the food the
baron had made" the boatman continued,
you could see, out of the boat. the point
ed tops of the towers of the chateau be-
low you, with the weather-cocks still
pointing to the west and the green sea-
weed hanging to them, like pennons from
a ships vancs"
But | fear it is not to be seen nowN
"Oh no Ages and ages ago it rot
ted and rotted away; but the old men of
the village have heard from their fathers
that the fishermen onl Y ventured there
in calm summer weather, and in good
daylight; for, in the dark, look you, and
when Biscay wind was blowing, they
said they heard the sounding of Chatel-
morant's magic horn. and they saw his
imp flying above them, and wailing like
a hurt sea-birdn
OF course, | was on thorns to hear all
the story; and so my boatman recounted
rude, disjointed tale, which | have
hitched, legendwise, into the following
narrative -
The Baron Armand de Chatel-morant
sat in his dim studio high up in the most
seward tower of the chateau of Chatel-
morant His hair and his beard were
white, but his eyes were keen, and his
cheeks as ruddy as the eyes and the
cheeks of young man. He had a fur
mace beside him, with implements of pro-
lection, crucibles. and powders On the
table were astrological instruments. and
the magic crystal, which his Familiar
had given him, and in which-only, how
ever, when the Familiar pleascd-the ba-
ron could read the future but for every
reading Of the future, the baron was
year older-the Familiar had year of
his life. The baron was clothed in a
long furred robe, and he wore red shoes.
with peaked toes as long again as his
feet His face was moody, and clouds
went driving along his brow lie took
up his instruments, and laid them down.
and opened big book full of spells and
cantrips, and shut it; then he walked a.
bout the room aud then he stopped and
blew silver whistle
Very prompt at the sound came an old
man-reverent and sorrowful looking
with white wand for he was the SEN
eschal of the chateau of Chatelmorant
Your niece" said the baron, who
comes hither from the town of Bordeaux
to visit you, and whom | saw but yester
eyen,-has she returned p
"She went this morning, monseigneur, I"
said the seneschal she has prepare