Evening journal., 1899-02-15

says, at having punished them without
soiling his hands with their blood |
('Ioueux de les auior puniz sans sc
souiller les maips en- leurssang'). They |
built as best they could hut OF boughs
and strewed beds Of leaves until they
had killed wild beasts enough TO pre-
pare their skins. Their store Of hard
bread lasted them but a little while, but
there were fruits around them, and
there was fresh water near by. "Yet IL
was terrible" says Thevet's old mar
rative. "to hear the frightful sounds
which the evil spirits made around
them. and how they tried to break down
their abode, and showed themselves ia
various forms Of frightful animals;
yet at last, conquered by the constancy
and perseverance Of these unrepentant
Christians, the tormentors afflicted or
disquieted them no more. save that
often in the night they heard cries so
loud that IL seemed as II more than
5000 men were assembled together"
C"pus de cent mil homes qui fusseut
ensemble').
So passed many months Of desolaiion.
and. alas! the husband was the first to
yield. Daily he climbed the rocks %
look for vessels; each night he de-
scended sadder and sadder; he wakel
while the others slept. Feeling that 4.
was he who had brought distress upon
the rest. he concealed his depression,
but 1t soon was past concealing; he
only redoubled his care and watching
ns his wife grew the stronger Of The
two; and he faded slowly away and
died. His wife had nothing to sustain
her spirits except the approach Of ma
ternity-she would live for her child.
When the child was born and baptized
in the name Of the holy church. though
without the church's full ceremonies.
Marguerite felt the strength OF moth
erhOod; became a better huntress.
better provider. A new sorrow came;
In the sixteenth or seventeenth month
Of her stay the old nurse died also. and
not long after the baby followed. Mar
guerite now seemed to herself deserted.
even by Heaven itself; she was alone in
that northern island without comrade-
ship; her husband, child and nurse
gone; dependent for very food on the
rapidly diminishing supply of ammuni-
ton. Her head swan. For month"; sle c
saw visions constantly. which only
strenuous prayer banished and only
the acquired habit of the chase en-
abled her, almost mechanically, to Sc
cure meat to support life. Fortunate
ly. those especial sights and sounds OF
demons which had haunted her imag-
ination during the first daysand nights
on the island did not recur; but the
wild beasts gathered round her the
more when there was only one gun to
alarm them; and she once shot three
bears in day-one a white bear, oi
which she secured the skin.
For two years and five months in al
she dwelt upon the Isle Of Demons, the
last year wholly alone Then, as she
stood upon tho shore, some Breton
fishing smacks, seeking Goldfish, came IN
sight. Making signals with fire anC
calling for aid, she drew them nearer
but she was now dressed in furs only
and seemed to them but ono Of tn
fancied demons Of the island. Bentin,
up slowly and watchfully toward tn
shore, they came within hearing of he
voice, and she told her dreary tale. A
last they took her in charge. and bor
her'back to France with the bearslSin
she had prepared; and taking refuge il
the village of Nautron. in a remot
province (Perigordl, where she cOul
escape the wrath of Roherval. she toll
her story to Thevet, the explorer. 4
Princess Marguerite of Navarro (siste
of Francis ~. and 10 others. Theve
tells IL in his Cosmographie, and MAJ
guerite Of Navarro in her Gent Nouvel
les Nouvelles."
She told Theyet that after the frs
two months the demons came TO he
no more, until she was left who'll
alone; then they renewed their visiti
, but not continuously. and she felt les
fear. Thevet also records Of her thi
touching confession. that when III
time came for her TO embark. In th
Breton ship for home, there came owe
her strong impulse TO refuse The EN-
J barkation, bus rather TO die iH tha
solitary place as her husband. he
child. and her servant had already die'
= This profound touch of human naiuI
does more than anything else TO coi
firm the tale as substantially true. Cei
tain IT is that the lonely island whic
I, appeared so long on the old maps as th
u Isle of Demons C'l'Isola do Demoni'
appears differently in later ones as th
Lady's Island crlsle de Ia Demo
selle'O.
Princess Marguerite Of Nnvarre, wh
" died in l549, seems also to have know
her namesake at her retreat in Per
cord. gives some variations fro
Thevet's story, and describes her Z
having been put on shore with her hu
y band because Of frauds which he ha
" nracticed on Roberval; nor does 81
= speak of the nurse or of the child. B'
: she gives q similar description of Ma
guerite's stay on the island after h
death, and says. that although 81
(. lived what might seem bestial life
= 10 her body, it was life wholly angel
- as regarded her soul ("ainsi vivar
= quaint au corps. de vie bestiale, ct quai
:. lesprit. de vie angelicque"). She ha
the princess also says, a mind cheerf