the island. My heart will serve as a compass to guide
me to the lady of my thoughts, with the assistance of the sun and the
moon."

"But, madman," cried the priest, "there is no path through the forests
which you would traverse; the trees are so thick that they would hide
from you the position of the sun--you would be lost."

"I shall go right ahead; I shall arrive somewhere. Your island is not so
large (be it said without disparaging Martinique), Father; then I shall
retrace my steps, and I shall seek until I find Devil's Cliff."

"But the soil of the forest is often impassable; it is infested with
serpents of the most dangerous species; I say to you that in what you
propose, you are courting a thousand deaths."

"Ah, well, Father, 'nothing venture, nothing have.' If there are
serpents I will get upon stilts after the manner of the natives of my
country."

"Going to walk on stilts in the midst of creepers, brambles, rocks,
trees overturned by storms? I tell you, you do not know our forests."

"If one always considered the perils of an undertaking one would never
accomplish any good. Did you think of the deadly fevers when you tended
those of your parishioners who were attacked with it?"

"But my object was a pious one; I risked death in the observance of my
duty; while you rush upon yours out of vanity."

"Vanity, Father! A companion who has sacks filled with diamonds and fine
pearls, and probably five or six millions more in gold! Zounds! what a
'vanity!'"

Having seen the futility of overcoming such unparalleled
opinionativeness, the good priest said no more.

He conducted his guest to the room assigned to him, fully resolved to
put every difficulty possible in the way of the chevalier the next day.

Inflexible in his resolve, Croustillac slept profoundly. A lively
curiosity had come to the aid of a natural obstinacy and an
imperturbable confidence in his destiny; the more this confidence had
been, till then, disappointed, the more our adventurer believed that the
promised hour was about to come to him. The following morning, at break
of day, he arose and went on tiptoe to the door of Father Griffen's
room. The priest still slept, not thinking for a moment that the
chevalier would dream of starting off on a journey through an unknown
country without a guide. He deceived himself.

Croustillac, in order to escape the solicitation and reproaches of his
host, started at once. He girded on his formidable sw