Beneath the rived shingles of my little room, under the sloping roof, how I turned and tossed through those long night hours!  What visions, both asleep and awake, came to me, thronging fast upon my heated brain, each more marvellous than its fellow, and all alike pointing toward that strange country which I was now destined by fate to travel!  Vague tales of wonder and mystery had come floating to me out of that unknown West, and now I was to behold it all with my own eyes.  But marvellous as were my dreams, the reality was to be even more amazing than these pictures of boyish imagination.  Had I known the truth that night, I doubt greatly whether I should have had the courage to face it.

At last the gray dawn came, stealing in at the only window, and found me eager for the trial.

CHAPTER III

A NEW ACQUAINTANCE

I drew rein upon the upper river bank, before we finally plunged into the dark woods beyond, and glanced back.  I had to brush the gathering tears from my eyes before I could see clearly; and when I finally rode away, the picture of that dear old home was fixed in my memory forever.  Our house stood near the centre of an oak opening,—­a little patch of native prairie-land, with a narrow stream skirting it on one side, and a dense fringe of forest all about.  The small story-and-a-half cabin of hewn logs, with its lean-to of rough hand-riven planks, fronted to the southward; and the northern expanse of roof was green with moss.  My father sat in the open doorway, his uplifted hand shading his eyes as he gazed after us; while my mother stood by his side, one arm resting upon the back of his chair, the other extended, waving a white cloth in farewell.  Rover was without, where I had bidden him remain, eagerly watching for some signal of relenting upon my part.  Beyond stood the rude out-buildings, silhouetted against the deep green.  It was a homely, simple scene,—­yet till now it had been all the world to me.

With a final wave of the hand, I moved forward, until the intervening trees, like the falling of a curtain, hid it all from view.  Seth was astride the old mare, riding bareback, his white goat-like beard hanging down his breast until it mingled with her mane, while his long thin legs were drawn up in the awkward way he had.  He was a strange, silent, gloomy man, as austere as his native hills; and we rode on with no exchange of speech.  Indeed, my thoughts were of a nature that I had no wish to share with another; so it was some time before the depth of loneliness which oppressed my spirits enabled me to feel even passing interest in the things at hand.

“I ‘d hate like thunder ter be a-goin’ on your trip, Maester John,” volunteered Seth at last, solemnly turning on the mare’s broad back to face me.

“And why?” I asked, wonderingly; for the man’s rare gift of silence had won him a certain reputation for deep, occult knowledge which I could not wholly ignore.  “It will bring me the sight of some wonderful country, no doubt.”