Year: 1874

cautiously, the bar which envelopes 1t,
glide under the covers like a serpent,
and then congratulate yourself that
thanks to so many precautions, you have
secured for yourself tranquil night.
The error is very sweet, but Of short
| duration.


At the end Of say FIVE minutes, you
hear gentle buzzing around your face.
It would be as agreeable TO hear the
hoarse cry of tiger or the roaring of
lion. You have shut up your enemy
with you


Prepare for a desperate duel. The
trumpet that he sounds is that of battle
to the death. Soon the noise ceases. 1t
is terrible moment, for your enemy is
in position-where? You know not.
There is no parrying the thrust he is
going to make at you. All at once you
feel sharp wound. You raise your
hand quickly to strike-your adversary
has been quicker than you, and this
time his trumpet sounds the note of VIC
tory


The internal buzzing encircles your
head in fantastic and irregular flights, in
which you try vainly to seize him--a





Then your anguish begins again. You
strike blindly at places where he is not
until fresh thrust indicates where he
was, for at the instant you believe he is
crushed like a scorpion on the wound the
atrocious singing begins anew. This
time it sounds like the diabolieal laugh
ter of malicious imp. You answer it
with roar of rage. You prepare your
self to surprise him wherever he may
descend. You extend both hands
spread out the fingers to their fullest
extent. You turn your cheek to the
aggressor, hoping to attract him to this
heshy surface which the palm of your
hand so perfectly fits The buzzing
ceases. You hold your breath; you sup
press the beating of your heart; you
imagine you feel the sharp sting in a
thousand different places.


Suddenly the pain trans6xes your
eyeld. You think now only of revenge,
and give your eye blow heavy enough
to fell an OK. You see thirty-six stars.
But that is nothing if the vampire is
slain. For one minute you cherish the
hope and thank heaven for according
to you the victory. Alas a moment
later the satanic merriment recon-
mences.


Then you break all bounds; your i'm
agination gets heated; your brain whirls
You dash aside the covers; you take no
further measure to resist the attack.
You sit up in bed in the hope that your
antagonist will commit some impru-
dence.


You beat your body with both hands
as the laborer threshes the grain with
a fail. Then, at last, after struggle
of three hours, feeling that your head is
turning, that your mind wanders-that
you ore on the point of becoming idiotic
you succumb.


You fall back fainting, crushed with
fatigue, your eyelids dropping with sleep
and fall into heavy siumber


The enemy grants you truce-be-
cause he is gorged. The insect gives
grace to the lion. The lion may sleep


The next morning you awake. 1t is
broad daylight The first object your
eyes rest upon is that infamous mosquito
fastened to your curtain, his body red
and swollen with your life blood. You
experience a sensation of triumphant
Joy; you approach him cautiously with
your hand and crush him against the
wall as Hamlet did Polonius.


He is so drunk he does not. even seek
refuge in fight,


At this juncture your servant comes
in; he gazes at you with astonishment
and asks what is the matter with your
eye?" He. brings you mirror. You
glance in it but do not recognize your
self. tits not you buta monstrous being
something like Caliban, Vulcan, Quasi
modol