This was evidently
approaching; for each moment it loomed larger upon the
hazy water, increasing in bulk in the same proportion
that the departing skiff became less distinct: still, it
was impossible to discover, at that distance, in what
manner it was propelled. Wind there was none, not as much
as would have changed the course of a feather dropping
through space; and, except where the dividing oars of
the boatmen had agitated the waters, the whole surface
of the lake was like a sea of pale and liquid gold.
At length the two dark bodies met, and the men in the
boat were seen to lie upon their oars, while one in the
stem seemed to be in the act of attaching a rope to the
formless matter. For a few moments there was a cessation
of all movement; and then again the active and sturdy
rowing of the boatmen was renewed, and with an exertion
of strength even more vigorous than that they had previously
exhibited. Their course was now directed towards the
vessel; and, as it gradually neared that fabric, the rope
by which the strange-looking object was secured, could
be distinctly though faintly seen with the telescope.
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