The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15
TWO CANADIAN sUPERsTur1oxs.
The LOup-GarOu and the Chasse-
GaIerfe.

The LouD-GarOu and the Chasse-
GaIerIe.
J. Gertrude Menard i'm Donahoe's for Octo-
Der.
Two superstitions the Canadian treas
ures however which have little to do with
the devotional side of his nature Grim,
stern, terrifying menace alike to young
and old, to godly and ungodly, the fierce
loup-garou and the wild classic-galerle
hold a place as impressive as is their
own individuality.
The loup-garou, that hideous creature,
part man, part wolf but more than all
devil, is perhaps the more frequent of
these uncanny visitors. He is seen only
after dark, or in the chill and ghostly
hours of twilight, when his long, lean body
lolling tongue, and cleaning, ferocious
eyes appear for a horrible moment at the
edge of field or road, only to vanish with
stealth born not of earth, into still deep
er regions of the dusk. AS his character
implies, he is always a presager of evil
The mother, watching at midnight by the
cradle OF her sick child, hears suddenly
across the silence long, low, shuddering
howl, and hurrying to the window she
sees, crouched in the shadow of the house.
a dark and sinuous shape. II is the dread
loup-garou, and she knows that now her
cHiu must uie. IN the days or lrOQuOiS
massacre and onslaught the loup-garou
was almost always a forerunner of foes
believed to bear o not remote kinship to
him. Bights upon crops, scourges of dis
ease, violent commissions of nature were
also often traceable to his presence In a
community, and it is not to be doubted
that the glimpse of his red eyes shining
wickedly through hedge or thlcket on the
eve of battle, has convinced more than one
sturdy soldier of the futility of fighting
for poor New France.
The chasse-galerie Is supposed to go
abroad for u nights after Christmas. 1t
consists of huge and horrible huntsman
followed by HOUNDS, various animals of the
chase, unbaptized children, witches and
other gaunt and unhallowed creatures. The
motley crew rush with fearful speed
through the air which Tesounds with the
cracking of whips, neighing of horses,
barking of dogs and shouting of the rid
ers.
The chasse-g alerie naturally frequents
the neighborhood of thick woods and for
ests and is the especial dread of that roll
licking, fearless, but superstitious brother
hood that roam the vast reaches of the
Canadian wilderness. The wood-chopper
sitting in the Pickering light of his lonely
campfire, the trapper toifing YEARLY over
miles of snowy wastes the lumberman
guiding his logs through swollen streams
and dangerous rapids-each of these on
wild nights, when scudding clouds obscur-
ed the moon and shrill winds moaned and
whistled through the air, has heard sud
denly above the voice of the blast a wild
clamOr and commot.on born not of the ele-
ments, but of those diabolical vistants
which song and story had early taught
him TO shun and to fear. Then was it
hardened woodsman though he might be-
that he fell upon his knees and with gasp
ing prayer and invocation awaited the
dreadful moment when the ungodly cor
tege should sweep over his head on it's mad
course down the sky. If there furked, too.
within his mind the memory of some dark
lest he, too, should be snatched up and
made to ride the air until the judgment
day, 1t Is said that the hunt may be OBJ
served safely from cross roads, which it
invariably shuns; but as the poor voyaseur
is usually far enough from this desired
combination of highways, he has no re-
course but to shut his eyes and let the
strange cavalcade pass unseen.