"I won't do that again," said he. "Some of those people may die from the effects of this fright. But here we are again for home."
Silver Cloud had again mounted skyward and encountered a splendid breeze from the north. A few moments later the blue, crystal waters of Lake Superior were undulating beneath them.
"Just see the shipping!" ejaculated Denison. "I sailed to the upper end of this great lake to Duluth, twenty-five years ago. Then but few steamers came up so far, and not many sailing vessels except those in the iron and copper trade. Now see them in every direction! I am astonished at the amount of traffic on these lakes."
Only those who have been away from their native land, and especially if their travels have extended over the barren wastes of the extreme north, can fully appreciate the immortal Scott:
"Breathes there a man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said;
'This is my own, my native land!'"
They traveled so rapidly over Upper Michigan that by evening they were across the strait of Mackinaw. Then the wind lulled to a ten-mile breeze and veered a point or two easterly. The great pine forests below were a cheerful contrast to the illimitable fields of ice and snow and uncultivable lands which they had so lately traversed. The farms and villages grew thicker every hour and their twinkling lights were pleasant sights to the voyagers as the night came on.
After dinner, all being tired from a long day of sightseeing, they gathered in the little smoking-room for their usual evening chat. For some reason, this time the conversation took a turn not unusual among creatures who have to do with two worlds, the spiritual and material.
"I would like to ask you, Dr. Jones," said the Professor, "if you ever encountered, or had any experience with what you were positive was supernatural?"
"I have," answered the Doctor.
"Well, Doctor, I confess that I never saw or heard anything in my life that could not be explained upon natural principles. It is not that I am especially skeptical, but my life has been spent in the study of things material, and the laws that govern them. So it may be that I have not been in a state of mind to apprehend spiritual phenomena, as I might otherwise have done. However that may be, I am very desirous of hearing a relation of your experiences on that line."