第92章 BOOK III.(32)

Turning away from the welcome sight--for their minds were ill at ease--they found the light strong enough for their search to begin.Writing on a sheet of paper,in a large hand,"Have gone to the Callisto to look for you;shall afterwards return here,"they pinned this in a conspicuous place and set out due west,keeping about a hundred yards apart.The ground was wet and slippery,but overhead all was clear,and the sun soon shone brightly.Looking to right and left,and occasionally shouting and discharging their revolvers,they went on for half an hour.

"I have his tracks,"called Bearwarden,and Cortlandt hastened to join him.

In the soft ground,sure enough,they saw Ayrault's footprints,and,from the distance between them,concluded that he must have been running or walking very fast;but the rain had washed down the edges of the incision.The trail ascended a gentle slope,where they lost it;but on reaching the summit they saw it again with the feet together,as though Ayrault had paused,and about it were many other impressions with the feet turned in,as if the walkers or standers had surrounded Ayrault,who was in the centre.

"I hope,"said Cortlandt,"these are nothing more than the footprints we have seen formed about ourselves.""See,"said Bearwarden,"Dick's trail goes on,and the others vanish.They cannot have been made by savages or Indians,for they seem to have had weight only while standing."They then resumed their march,firing a revolver shot at intervals of a minute.Suddenly they came upon a tall,straight tree,uprooted by the wind and lying diagonally across their path.Following with their eyes the direction in which it lay,they saw a large,hollow trunk,with the bark stripped off,and charred as if struck by lightning.Obliged to pass near this by the uprooted tree-whose thick trunk,upheld by the branches at the head,lay raised about two feet from the ground--both searchers gave a start,and stood still as if petrified.Inside the great trunk they saw a head,and,on looking more closely,descried Ayrault's body.Grasping it by the arms,they drew it out.The face was pale and the limbs were stiff.Instantly Cortlandt unfastened the collar,while Bearwarden applied a flask to the lips.But they soon found that their efforts were vain.

"The spirit!"ejaculated Cortlandt."Dick may be in a trance,in which case he can help us.Let us will hard and long."Accordingly,they threw themselves on their faces,closing their eyes,that nothing might distract their concentration.Minutes,which seemed like ages,passed,and there was no response.

"Now,"said Bearwarden,"will together,hard."Suddenly the stillness was broken by the spirit's voice,which said:

"I felt more than one mind calling,but the effect was so slight I thought first I was mistaken.I will help you in what you want,for the young man is not dead,neither is he injured."Saying which,he stretched himself upon Ayrault,worked his lungs artificially,and willed with an intensity the observers could feel where they stood.Quickly the colour returned to Ayrault's cheeks,and with the spirit's assistance he sat up and leaned against the tree that had protected him from the storm.

"Your promise was realized,"he said,addressing the spirit."Ihave seen what I shall never forget,and lest the anguish--the vision of which I saw--come true,let us return to the earth,and not leave it till I have tasted in reality the joys that in the spirit I seemed to have missed.I have often longed in this life to be in the spirit,but never knew what longing was,till Iexperienced it as a spirit,to be once more in the flesh.""You see the mercy of God,"said the spirit,"in not ordinarily allowing the spirits of the departed to revisit earth until they are prepared--that is,until they are sufficiently advanced to go there unaided--by which time they have come to understand the wisdom of God's laws.In your case the limiting laws were partially suspended,so that you were able to return at once,with many of the faculties and senses of spirits,but without their accumulated experience.It speaks well for your state of preparation that,without having had those disguised blessings,illness or misfortune,you were not utterly crushed by what you saw when temporarily released.While in the trance you were not in hell,but experienced the feelings that all mortals would if allowed to return immediately.Thus no lover can return to earth till his fiancee has joined him here,or till,perceiving the benevolence of God's ways,he is not distressed at what he sees,and has the companionship of a host of kindred spirits.

"The spirits you saw in the cemetery were indeed in hell,but had become sufficiently developed to revisit the earth,though doing so did not relieve their distress;for neither the development of their senses,which intensifies their capacity for remorse and regret,nor their investigations into God's boundless mercies,which they have deliberately thrown away,can comfort them.

"Some of your ancestors are on Cassandra,and others are in purgatory here.Though a few faintly felt your prayer,none were able to return and answer beside their graves.It was at your request and prayer that He freed your spirit,but you see how unhappy it made you.""I see,"replied Ayrault,"that no man should wish to anticipate the workings of the Almighty,although I have been unspeakably blessed in that He made an exception--if I may so call it--in my favour,since,in addition to revealing the responsibilities of life,it has shown me the inestimable value and loyalty of woman's love.I fear,however,that my return to earth greatly distressed the waterer of the flowers you showed me.""She already sleeps,"replied the spirit,"and I have comforted her by a dream in which she sees that you are well.""When shall we start?"asked Bearwarden.