I ever heard," said Joe, feeling his right
shoulder with his left hand..

"Why do you feel your shoulder, Joe?" asked Glenn, smiling, as he
recollected the many times his man had suffered by the rebound of his
musket, and diverted at the grave and thoughtful expression of his
features.

"It _was_ a dream, wasn't it?" asked Joe, with simplicity, still
examining his shoulder.

"But you know there was no lead in the gun, and it could not rebound
with much violence," said Glenn.

"I'll soon see all about it," exclaimed Joe, springing up and running
to his gun. After a careful examination he returned to his stool
beside the fire, and sat some minutes, with the musket lying across
his knees, and his chin in his hand, plunged in profound meditation on
the imaginary incidents which had just been related to him. Had the
dream been an ordinary one, and he not an actor in it, it might have
passed swiftly from his memory; but inasmuch as the conduct imputed to
him was so natural, and the expressions he was made to utter so
characteristic, he could not but regard it as a vision far more
significant and important than a mere freak of the brain during a
moment of slumber.

"What are you studying about?" interrogated Glenn.

"I can't understand it," replied Joe, shaking his head.

"Neither can the most renowned philosopher," said Glenn; "but you can
tell whether your musket has been discharged."

"It hasn't been fired," said Joe. "But what distresses me is, that
there should be only a charge of powder in it, just as you stated, and
when I drew out the shot you were fast asleep. You must have heard me
say I intended to do it."

"Not that I remember," said Glenn.

"Then there must be a wizard about, sure enough," said Joe, and he
crossed himself.

"Suppose we take our guns and walk out in the direction mentioned?"
said Glenn; "I feel the want of exercise after my sleep, and have some
curiosity to test the accuracy of my dream by comparing the things
described with the real objects on the island."

"Not for the world!" cried Joe, lifting both hands imploringly; "but I
will gladly go anywhere else, just to see if the bushes are as
beautiful as you thought they were, and if the deer can't run on the
snow-crust as well as the dogs."

"Come on, then--I care not which course we go," said Glenn, taking up
his gun, and leading the way out of the inclosure.

They pursued a westerly course until they reached nearly to the edge