Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-31
"A STRANGE SIGHT.

Thereupon the corporal closed the win
dow ON the ground floor at which Picar-
dan, the policeman, had knocked, and re-
appeared ON the pavement in front OF the
barracks, no longer in nightcap but en-
compassed by shoulder belt, with three
cornered hat on his head.
The two went off together In silence.
They had passed the last houses, when
Roquevaire had become nothing but a
black mass, oyertowered by the square
Hook tower Of the village clock, against
the deep blue Of the starry sky.
A dull sound, like that Of a muffled
Trum, came across from the other side of
the hill. 1t ceased and recommended at
regular intervals, becoming more and more
distinct and stronger as the policeman
and the soldier mounted the hill
They had left the high road and We're
making their way across an uncultivated
piece of ground, guided by the sound.
Look OUT said the corporal 1.-The
devils work Is beginning"
And indeed down among the olive trees
strange things were going on.
Among the tree trunks stepped into the
vague light Of the stars four men--or rath
er four phantoms-and moved along in
single file. Suddenly, as If obeying a word
of command, the procession stopped.
The first phantom, the bearer of a bulls
eye lantern, threw "a beam of light from
the right to the left slowly and in "a circle
At the same time the second beat his
drum. The third, balancing utensil
which seemed to be watering can, let q
shower Of liquid diamonds fall on the
ground, while the fourth, who was armed
with basket, fell on mis- knees.
After completing this incarnation every
thing sank back into silence and darkness
till another roll of the drum and another
beam of the light told that the four strange
things had moved farther on In the plain.
what do you think Of 1t, corporal2"
"We must lie down on our faces like
sportsmen and wait and see"
Had tho phantoms heard the voices of the
soldier and tho policeman? Had they seen
the Shadows on the ground2 In less time
than it takes to ask these questions the
drum had been silenced, the light vanish
ed, and when the two men arrived on the
spot they found nothing but number OF
footmarks about n round damp place.
The corporal slept no more that night,
and his wife was terrified. Were they
phantoms? No. Soldiers do not believe
in phantoms.
Treasure seekers, pcrchance. But the
drum and the watering can were disoon-
certing.
We're they sorccrers, then? Supposing
they were. If they were, everything could
DO explained,
Then hc reflected that, after all, the
mystery might be solved by the aid of a
little diplomacy Tho footpath, bordered
by crumblng stone walls, by means OF
which the roycrs must have fed, since
there was lib other escape, led straight to
the Mas &c l'Agasso This Mas de l'Agasse
belonged to NJ. Baculas, jolly fellow,
who was fond of playing joke onfhe po
lice, md on whom the police kept theii
eye
Next day--it was fine Sunday-the
corporal, newly shaver and very smart
I'm his best uniform, turned toward the
Mas do lAgasse. Tho chimney was smok-
ing.
One rapid glance into the interior of tho
hut through tho open door told him every.
thing, for there he saw, hung up against
tho wall ike II trophy, n large basket, q
watering can, n bullseye lantern, to say
nothing Of tho drum covered with n towel
The criminals, however, showed no con
sternaton ut all. On tho contrary, they
shouted:
"Hellol II that the corporal2 How arc
you, corporalY Como in, corporal, unless
you are afrnid of bottle of new wine"
Tho corporal entered, determined to OBJ
serve men and matters.
Three sauccpans were bubbling under
the supervision of three men, who care
fully watched tho red cmbcrs The fourth
Baculas himself, with bare arms and the
Precipitation standing In beads on his fore
head, was crushing the sacred aioli in the
corner.
Suddenly and with herculean gesture
he put down the mortar, planted the wood
en- pestlo IN the midst on the odorous
wabbling mass, and cried out Every
man to tho table. The aioli Is readyr'
what Is the matter, corporal? Yor
seem preoccupicd. You eat with one eye
on your plate and the other on the Lantern
and the drum, and only last night yot
and that brigand Pcardan tracked oul
steps on the Font Seche hill. And wher
wo have revealed all things to you, cor
poral, swear to us that you will not be
tray us"
The corporal was alone, without nj,
sword He swore.
Now, let mo tell you, corporal, Bacu
las began in a voice of thunder, that thu
sons of the Provence like their forefather
the Romans-have always roasted snails
Especially is this the case at Roquevaire
for nowhere else Is the snail held in sucl
high estimation. Unfortunately the snai
Is capricious beast, choosing its OWL
hours. 1t never shows its horns excep
after the rain. Now, think of our miser,
when there is no rain!
MEANWHILE, Baculas went on, "thert
Is way by means of which the snail col
be induced to leave its underground for
tress and take walk on the surface of tn,
soil, But it required all the native inge
nuity of the Proyencal in general, and thu
Roquevairois in particular, to find out thi.
way. 1t would be no use IL you tried, cor
poral, for you are not Provencal The
following is the way in which the Proven
cal organizes his nocturnal snail expedi
tions:
-Four mon go together walking behind
each other with uniform step, as you
saw us walk last night. The first carries
a bullseye lantern, the second drum, the
third a watering can and the fourth a
wicker basket. Thus we lose ourselves
amonp the olive trees