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It appeared true even to me, now that he had pointed out the spot

"It must be the roof hatch uplifted Noe discover a ladder leading thereto I shall accept it as proof that God guideth us this night, and feel new courage"

"Our work is of God," said the père soleed upon it"

"Nor have I ever doubted it, father," Icautiously forward across the ill- "Yet you have been a luckierwhen you believed it to be right"

There was a ladder there spliced with bits of rope, as we discovered, yet proving of sufficient strength to up-bear us one at a ti prone at the edge, whither we had crept silently, peering cautiously forth upon the black river That is, we gazed into the silent mystery where we knew the riverinto an i aweso twenty great vessels of war,of strained cables, or the occasional dash of a wave against so be seen, if I except flitting sparks of light gli to locate the positions of the various ships in their night anchorage

I felt, rather than saw, the devout priest atof his lips in prayer, but I contented li masts of the "Santa Maria," which must be close at hand They remained invisible, shrouded behind the mist cloud For oneconfidence in our venture Yet, even as hope failedof a nearby cable sounded farther up streae of the roof, aware as I proceeded that Father Petreni, i my example, pressed closely behind

Near the northern extre well over the roof edge, I peered anxiously into the enveloping fog A deeper density of shadoed directly in front, which I felt convinced could be caused only by one of those vast spars around which canvas had been rolled, as noted that afternoon fro to pierce the thickfar beneath us The sound caht reasonably suppose the stern of the vessel to lie I drew back, and placed my lips close to the priest's ear