第61部分(第4/7 頁)

　and　looking　at　life　through　my　eyes。　Indeed　there　are　several　subjects　with　which　I　always　find　it　not　difficult　to　deal　—　for　instance；　Old　Egypt；　Norsemen；　and　African　savages。　Of　these　last；　however；　I　prefer　to　write　in　the　pany　of　the　late　Allan　Quatermain。

At　the　time　of　which　I　am　now　speaking；　the　early　niies；　it　was；　however；　otherwise；　for　then；　being　much　younger；　I　wearied　of　fiction　and　longed　for　the　life　of　action　to　which　I　had　been　bred　and　that；　indeed；　is　native　to　my　character。　In　truth；　the　dislike　and　revolt　of　my　heart　in　those　days　still　haunts　me　as　a　kind　of　nightmare　which　is　perhaps　sufficiently　amusing　to　relate。

Many　people　have　their　favourite　dreams；　and　within　the　last　year　or　so　I　have　developed　a　very　fair　specimen　of　this　class　of　illusion　which　es　to　me　in　an　oft…repeated　vision　of　the　mind。　Who　does　not　know　that　order　of　dream　wherein　we　seem　to　move　among　the　dead　and　in　their　pany；　with　eager　yet　trembling　feet；　to　try　the　cold　waters　of　the　stream　of　Death？

Well；　through　the　ivory　gates　of　such　a　dream　as　this　at　times　I　seem　to　see　my　spiritual　heritage　spread　large　before　me　in　a　world　of　pictured　silence。　There；　at　the　back　of　the　picture；　rises　the　mighty　cliff　whereon；　at　intervals；　the　great　golden　figures；　which　I　take　it　are　images　and　not　alive；　seem　to　keep　watch　and　ward　over　the　illimitable　lands　beneath；　while　between　them；　also　at　intervals　of　scores　or　hundreds　of　leagues；　pour　the　cataracts　gathered　I　know　not　whence。　In　a　fold　of　that　cliff　lie　the　blue　waters　of　the　Holy　Lake；　surrounded　by　wide　cedars　and　huge；　immemorial　pines　that　spring　two　hundred　feet　without　a　bough　and；　at　their　crown；　end　always　in　a　single　bent　plume　of　green；　as　though　up　on　high　some　strong　wind　shaped　them　wit