About four o’clock in the morning I had just dozed off again, when a loud gust of wind gave my window an extra hard rattle, which woke me.  I laid quite still, but presently heard a curious shuffling outside my door, which made me sit upright upon my bed, with my eyes starting from my head, and riveted upon the door, which gradually opened with a peculiar sliding noise, little by little, in jerks, and as it did so I could feel my hair move on my head, as if trying to stand on end with horror, but as it was very long it could only move in locks like writhing eels.  Little by little the door opened, and I expected to see my black-bearded dead giant, with the awful face enter.  I looked instinctively near the top of the door for the face to show itself; but such an awful visitant I was not doomed to see, though in his place, and much nearer the floor, appeared a black head surmounted by a pair of pointed horns.  My eyes seemed as if they would fly from their sockets at this sight, but only for a minute, for a body followed the head, which was perfectly familiar to me—­it was my goat.

[Illustration:  TOO LATE!]

I dropped upon my bed, overcome by the sudden change from horror to joy, and laid there for some minutes, till the faithful Nanny came and licked my ear and brought me back to consciousness again.

I afterward accounted for her unexpected visit by surmising that the wind must have blown open the outer door and let her into the passage, as I had never fastened the doors, although the outer ones were provided with bolts.  Then Miss Nanny must have pushed open the door of my room with a series of prods with her nose, and as she did so the old rug, which I always threw at the bottom of the door to keep out the draught, was gradually forced back till she had made sufficient space for the admission of her body.

Oh, the horrors of that night!  Shall I ever forget them?  No, not if I live to the age of Noah, who ran his grandfather, Methuselah, very close in the race of years.

Day did dawn at last, and putting out my lamp I slept soundly for several hours; in fact, when I awoke it was mid-day, and the sun shining down pleasantly from a blue and cloudless sky.

I breakfasted, fed my animals, and then—­then! What of the dead man lying on the beach? I shuddered at the mere idea of going near the poor fellow.  I dreaded gazing upon that face again—­it must be done, still it need not be done just yet.  I would take a walk round the island and see if the storm had thrown up anything else upon the shore, and give myself time to think what I should do with the dead Frenchman.  I would walk the reverse way round to that which I usually did; that is to go round past the boathouse, and thus along the east shore.  This I did so that I might make the tour of the island before seeing the dreadful man again.