The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-01-08
Continued from 1st puge.)

sands! Luckily, tbs only a muskrat hole,
which the overflow has caused to cave IN,
making a neat pitfall; but one might as we'll
be drowned as frightened to death. So, no
more rcconoitering this night, let come
what shall!
THE HAUNTED HOUSE."
Returning to the deserted dwelling mot
without difficulty in the darkness), | hanged
my dripping coat upon the door knob, and
spent an hour rummaging among the old
cup-boards and drawers for a match. What
would not l have given for a match, a single
splint of pine dipped in sulphur! A single
match would enable me to light a cheerful
fire to drive away the rats and ''spooks, as
we'll as dry my clothes, and roast some corn
to baf1le the hooking Spirit of Famine
which was hourly slipping away with my
strength.
The house was a ghostly pile, at it's best !;
standing in the middle Of the island, sur
rounded by high weeds andIagged bushes,
with all the attendant attributes oflonellness
and desolation. The garnet windows We're
open, and the storm beating in upon the lit
ter of the upper floor made curious noises,
which with the moaning of the wind amid
the rafters, and the rafting OF the crazy
easements, often sounded like distant voices,
or coming footsteps. Ignorance is the father
of fear. Had l been up stairs, and fully in
spected the interior and exterior during day
light, many things would nave looked and
sounded differently. AS it was, the old
house seemed haunted" and by a variety
of IS -perits." [ had thrown myself upon
the bed, but Notwithstanding WEAKNESS,
could not Immediately fall asleep. Between
hunger and excitement the mind was too
highly wrought up to yield to Morpheus
instanter. Every creak Of the floor, every
hutter of loose shingles, had it's supernatural
suggestiveness! AS midnight approached
ghostly troops came in at the open door.
Shutting steps stole down the Stacking
stair, dark objects appeared upon the win
dow ledge, muf1ed foot falls crossed the
hoor,-and there could be no question that
strange r%ustling figures were near the bed
side! Once or twice, there was a low ghost
ly tap at the foot of the stairway. There
came curious scratchings on the wall, at the
head of the bed, as if oflong clawed fingers,
Presently q cold something touched my hand
as it lay outside of the covering! Isprang
up, and there was an instant rush of count
less cat-like foot steps!
1t seems a pity to spoil this ghost story,
but | may as we'll explain that the midnight
manifestations were not by any means fig
ments of the imagination only, they
were simply RATS; enormous river rats,
of the Norway species, as large as a common
cat, and quite as fearless of man, or his
traps. The whole island was infested with
them. In former times they had been ac-
customed to forage for offal around the cot
tage; but since it's desertion they had taken
possession, and owing to the storm, all were
within doors to receive me. They literally
.swarmed over the floor, the tables, chairs,
and even the bed. Their impudence
amazed me, as they would stick their cold
little noses against my hands, and fairly nib
BILE at my bare toes and when kicked off
the bed, would Chamber back within less
than two minutes. In fact, l finally became
afraid they would seriously injure me if l
CHANGED to fall into deep sleep.
Thanks to the old sail c,,oth,I escaped being
eaten alive; though the halfstarved Nor
wegians shelled the buttons off my coat, and
-nibbled the leather-lining or band of my hat.
Morning opened, ifanything, more stormy,
chill, and dismal than the previous evening.
A dense mist, with d~rizzling showers, Ger
spread the earth, making the island seem
the bottom of a burial vault, surrounded by
dripping walls of great height. The freshet
had flooded all the lower lands with yellow
turbid waters unpleasant to wade in, and so
muddy that I could not tell at at one step where
the next would drop me. The tour of in
.spection of the river banks was inexpressibly
uncomfortable and l returned to the house
in no enviable frame of mind. Could l have
found a single match, the situation would
have changed in a fash, as there was a
plenty of dry wood in the house, and corn
and salt, (the only thing left by the rats,)
-and-a superhuity OF Wdter.
On the Virginia shore there was no sign
nor sound of life and only one little patch
or field of cleared ground the bluffs being
lined with virgin forest. Towards noon, I
secured a long pole and set at work to try
in all directions to ford the river. 1t was
probably an hopeless undertaking even at
low.tide, whereas now the river was eight or
ten feet above that mark. Thrice | waded
again, at a fourth place, but slipped into a
hole, soused over head, and was SO frighten-
ed ere l scrambled out that / had enough of
it for that day.
ROBINSON CRUsoE, NO. 3, I'll A RAFT.