The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3Poe, Edgar Allan
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The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3
Poe, Edgar Allan
American fiction -- 19th century; Fantasy fiction; Horror tales, American
produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in
the minds of our party as the mirror had done in the case of
Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful, and allowing it to settle
thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made
up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that
these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was
perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and
imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade
of a knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it
immediately, as with us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces
of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. If,
however, the blade was passed down accurately between the two
veins, a perfect separation was effected, which the power of
cohesion did not immediately rectify. The phenomena of this water
formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent
miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled.
CHAPTER 19
We were nearly three hours in reaching the village, it being more
than nine miles in the interior, and the path lying through a
rugged country. As we passed along, the party of Too-wit (the
whole hundred and ten savages of the canoes) was momentarily
strengthened by smaller detachments, of from two to six or seven,
which joined us, as if by accident, at different turns of the
road. There appeared so much of system in this that I could not
help feeling distrust, and I spoke to Captain Guy of my
apprehensions. It was now too late, however, to recede, and we
concluded that our best security lay in evincing a perfect
confidence in the good faith of Too-wit. We accordingly went on,
keeping a wary eye upon the manoeuvres of the savages, and not
permitting them to divide our numbers by pushing in between. In
this way, passing through a precipitous ravine, we at length
reached what we were told was the only collection of habitations
upon the island. As we came in sight of them, the chief set up a
shout, and frequently repeated the word Klock-klock, which we
supposed to be the name of the village, or perhaps the generic
name for villages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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