fury of the tempest which roared around us, burst
into a derisive laugh.

"Thunder would be fit music, now," said he, "for this pleasant little
party"--and the words were scarcely uttered, ere a sound of distant
thunder appeared to shake the frozen surface of the lake. The pole he
was sliding before him, and of which he held but a careless grip, fell
from his hands. He stooped to pick it up, but it was gone; and holding
up our lantern to look for it, we beheld before us a wide opening in
the ice, where the dark tide was ruffled into mimic waves by the
breeze. Our sapling was floating upon its surface.

"This way," said Victor, bent in his spirit of folly to fulfill his
purpose, and skirting the yawning pool, where the cold tide rolled
many fathoms deep, we held on our way. We thus progressed nearly two
miles, and yet the _ignus fatuus_ which tempted us upon the mad
journey shone as distant as ever. Our own feeble light but served to
show, indistinctly, the dangers with which we were surrounded. I was
young, and loved life; nay, I was even about to plead in favor of
turning toward the shore that I might preserve it, when my companion,
his eye burning with excitement, turned toward me, and raising his end
of the sapling until the light of the lantern fell upon my face,
remarked,

"You are pale--I am sorry I frightened you thus, we will return."

With a reckless pride that would not own my fears, even though death
hung on my footsteps, I answered with a scornful laugh,

"Your own fears, and not mine, counsel you to such a proceeding."

"Say you so," says he, "then we will hold on until we cross the
lake;" and with a shout he pressed forward; bending my head to the
blast, I followed.

I had often heard of the suddenness with which Lake St. Clair cast off
its winter covering, when visited by a southern breeze; and whether
the heat of my excitement, or an actual moderation of cold in the wind
sweeping over us was the fact, I am unable to determine, but I fancied
its puff upon my cheek had grown soft and balmy in its character; a
few drops of rain accompanied it, borne along as forerunners of a
storm. While we thus journeyed, a sound like the reverberation of
distant thunder again smote upon our ears, and shook the ice beneath
our feet. We suddenly halted.

"There is no mistaking that," said Victor. "The ice is breaking up--we
will pursue this folly no further."

He had scarcely ceased speaking, when a report, like