But Lucifer is a cunning

to our Lady of Good-Succor. chap. No doubt you have heard how he bewitched the soul of a poor fisherman of the Rue du Possédé.

"Well, by the trident of Neptune! You will see how the fisherman became amorous, yes, amorous, my boys; and of the most beautiful girl in St. Malo! But she was as proud as a duchess. Yes, indeed, by the trident of Nep-1 tune; and James tried in vain, he could not anchor in the heart of his beloved. This rendered him sad and sombre as a tempest; so much so that he finally shut himself up in his steerage of the Rue du Possédé, and that it was soon discussed in the neighborhood every Sunday. Yes, indeed, by the trident of Neptune!

"In the mean time, Dame Louison permitted herself to be courted by the son of a currier, who was very rich, and so good a fellow that it was regarded as a real pleasure to see them dance together Sundays, after vespers.

“It had been agreed that they would get married after Easter; but when the old people were spoken to about the marriage, they shook their heads, saying:

"The poor children! the poor children! Ah, it is much to be feared that Jacot will play them a bad trick!'

"Ay, and the old people were right; for do you see, my boys, those who have navigated on the ocean have an experience of which youth is ignorant. Yes, indeed, by the trident of Neptune.

"The fact is, that those who remarked Jacot, could not be mistaken in regard to his designs. One day he was as pale as a new sail; another, green as the leaves of a sap

ling; another, as red as blood; and always, always his eyes sparkled like coals of fire.

"Some went so far as to say that streams of sulphur and bitumen flowed from his mouth; others had it that peals of thunder issued from his house at night, even when the sky was pure and serene; some had seen him make the sign of the cross with his left hand; so that the Rue du Possédé was abandoned by degrees, and he remained alone, in company with demons. Yes, indeed, by the trident of • Jupiter!

"It happened that on the Sunday evening before she was to be married to the son of the leather dresser, he invited her to take a sail with him in his boat.

"The weather was delightful, and Dame Louison had the misfortune to accept. They started at two o'clock, gay and joyous, in a little bark almost covered with ribbons. But the moment they quitted the beach, a black boat was observed in the distance, which hoisted sail, and seemed to watch the young people. Immediately all at the shore were overwhelmed with fright.

"The black boat was that of James.

"Dame Louison who was the first to distinguish it, felt the chilness of death running in her veins.

"Let us return, let us return to land,' said she to her lover.

"See,' said she, showing him with the point of her finger the skiff, from the hull of which flowed such a stream of light that it made the rays of the sun seem pale—

"What, sacramento? the skiff burned in the midst of the sea!"

"Burned!" replied Maleficeux, "who has told you that it burned ?"

"Since it was on fire!"

"Ah! novice, does the fire of hell burn the demons?"

"Brute of a German," said Grosbec, shrugging his shoulders. "You have never seen anything. Continue your story, sailor."

"Yes, indeed, by the trident of Neptune," resumed Philip Francœur, "burning flames streamed from the black skiff; and James stood up in the middle of it as tall as the mast of a man-of-war; his mouth vomiting torrents of smoke.

"All on the beach saw him, with the exception of the currier's son, who, far from listening to the prayers of Louison, commenced to row exactly in the direction of the black skiff.

"The latter receded towards the north, and the currier's boat followed. The black skiff having tacked about, the other tacked also. It was said that the former must be loadstone, and the latter iron so faithfully did they perform the same evolutions.

"However, the boat approached the black skiff by degrees, and after an hour's manoeuvring in the bay they

turned suddenly towards the north, and both steered in that direction.

"In a short time they almost touched each other. The agitated sea roared on the rocks, and flocks of griffins, larger than vultures, cut the air with their wings, uttering lugubrious cries.

"The two boats still appeared; but only like a camp-fire at the confines of the horizon. Then all of a sudden, a frightful peal of thunder was heard, and after that nothing was seen-except the sea white with foam, extended along the beach,

"The people of St. Malo went to the church, and prayed to the Holy Virgin to save Louison and the son of the leather-dresser. The day passed without any news having been heard in regard to them; but towards midnight, when the storm was at its height, the mariners remarked by the flashes of lightning that a small boat entered the harbor. It was observed to contain two persons, a man and a woman. Inlanding, the man put his arm about the woman's neck, and said: 'You will swear to me, on the salvation of your soul, that you are mine.' 'Yes, yours, nobody's but yours; always yours!' replied the woman. The unknown then stooped his head, and embraced the woman. She uttered a cry, and the sailors saw a glistening circle at the place where the man had put his lips. The sailors fled horror-stricken.

"Next day it was reported at St. Malo that, swallowed up with his boat during the storm, the son of the currier had perished, and that Louison was saved by James the Possessed.

"Some believed the recital; others regarded the fact as a magical charm; yes, indeed, by the trident of Neptune!

"What is certain is, that in one month after Louison married James, the poor fisherman became a rich captain, and received from the king a commission to go with two ships to reconnoitre the shores of Newfoundland.

"Not possible!" said the German.

"It was, then, James Cartier," added Grosbec.

"It was James, and that's all I know of it, my boys," replied Maleficieux with a knowing air. "My grandfather, from whom I got the story, did not tell me any more.”

"But what way did your James die ?" asked Nabot, who had listened attentively to the legend of the sailor, with his elbows on his knees, and his face resting on the palm of his hand.

"In what way did he die; yes, how did he die ?" added the ex-lancer.

All eyes were turned towards Philip Francœur.

"Ah! there it is," said he, with the complaisance of a narrator who has captivated the attention of his audience; "that is something that has never been found out, and never will be; yes, indeed, by the trident of Neptune!"

Each of the bandits made a gesture of disappointment. "However," resumed Maleficieux, seeming to collect his souvenirs, "I will relate what I have been assured by my grandfather, who was well acquainted with James:

"A certain evening, the fisherman having met Louison, begged her to consent to become his wife.