tudies under the
general title of "Fleurs d'Ennui." In 1883 he achieved the widest
celebrity, for not only did he publish "Mon Frere Yves," a novel
describing the life of a French bluejacket in all parts of the
world--perhaps, on the whole, to this day his most characteristic
production--but he was involved in a public discussion in a manner
which did him great credit. While taking part as a naval officer in
the Tonquin war, Loti had exposed in a Parisian newspaper a series of
scandals which succeeded on the capture of Hue, and, being recalled, he
was now suspended from the service for more than a year. He continued
for some time nearly silent, but in 1886, he published a novel of life
among the Breton fisher-folk, entitled "Pecheurs d'Islande"; this has
been the most popular of all his writings. In 1887 he brought out a
volume of extraordinary merit, which has never received the attention it
deserves; this is "Propos d'Exil," a series of short studies of exotic
places, in Loti's peculiar semi-autobiographic style. The fantastic
romance of Japanese manners, "Madame Chrysantheme," belongs to the same
year. Passing over one or two slighter productions, we come to 1890,
to "Au Maroc," the record of a journey to Fez in company with a
French embassy. A collection of strangely confidential and sentimental
reminiscences, called "Le Livre de la Pitie et de la Mort," belongs to
1891. Loti was on board his ship at the port of Algiers when news was
brought to him of his election, on the 21st of May, 1891, to the French
Academy. Since he has become an Immortal the literary activity of Pierre
Loti has somewhat declined. In 1892 he published "Fantome d'Orient,"
another dreamy study of life in Constantinople, a sort of continuation
of "Aziyade." He has described a visit to the Holy Land in three
volumes, "Le Desert," "Jerusalem," "La Galilee" (1895-96), and he has
written one novel, "Ramentcho" (1897), a story of manners in the Basque
province, which is quite on a level with his best work. In 1898 he
collected his later essays as "Figures et Choses qui passaient." In
1899-1900 Loti visited British India, and in the autumn of the latter
year China; and he has described what he saw there, after the seige, in
a charming volume, "Derniers Jours de Pekin," 1902.

E. G.

AN ICELAND FISHERMAN

by Pierre Loti

PART 1 -- ON THE ICY SEA

CHAPTER I--THE FISHERMEN

There they were, five huge, square-built seamen, drinkin