Variorum Viewer

Chap. 18

~~Alas!~~

~~reflection in~~

~~the~~

^{^}my

present situation was

~~impossible~~

^{^}one in which all

voluntary thought was swallowed up and lost.

– I was hurried away by

fury – Revenge alone

~~inspired~~

^{^}

endowed

me with strength,

~~& power of action~~

^{^}& composure

– It modelled my feelings ^{^}& allowed me to be calculating and calm

~~when otherwise~~

^{^}at periods when otherwise

delirium or death would have been my portion. My first resolut

^{^}ion

was to quit Geneva for ever.– My country which when I was happy & beloved was dear me

^{^} now in my adversity

became hateful I provided myself with a small sum of

money

together with a few jewels

~~that~~

^{^}

which

had belonged to my mother & ~~left it.~~ departed

And now my wanderings began which are to cease but with life – I have traversed a vast

~~extent~~

^{^}

portion

~~country~~

^{^}

the

earth

and ^{^}have endured all the hardships

~~that~~

^{^}which

travellers in desarts & barbarous countries are wont to meet – How I

^{^}

have

lived I hardly know

~~for~~

many times

~~did~~

^{^}

have

~~lie~~

_^ ~~stretch~~ stretched my failing limbs

on the sandy plain exhausted & far from succour, & prayed for death – But revenge kept me alive – I dared not die & leave my adversary in being.—

When I quitted Geneva my first a labour was to gain some

^{^}clue

by which I might trace

~~his~~

^{^}

the

steps

^{^}of my fiendish enemy

. But my plan was unsettled and I wandered many hours around the confines of

~~Geneva~~

^{^}

the

town

uncertain what path

^{^}I should

pursue

As night approached I found myself at the entrance of the ceme

^{^}t

ary, where William, Elizabeth and my father reposed – I entered it &approached the ~~toom~~ tomb which marked their graves. Every thing was silent except the leaves of the trees which ^{^}were gentl

^{^}y

~~rustled~~

^{^}agitated

by the breeze — The night was nearly dark and the scene would have been even to an uninterested observer affecting and solem

^{^}n

–the spirits of the

^{^}departed

seemed to flit around and

^{^}

to cast

~~gentle~~

~~hallow~~

shadow which was felt but seen not

^{^}a round ^{^}the head of the mourner. ~~But~~ the deep grief

~~that I at first~~

which this scene had at first excited

felt quickly gave way to rage &

despair – They were dead and I lived – Their murderer also lived & to destroy him I must drag out my we weary existence.

I knelt on the earth

and with a quir^{^}vering lips exclaimed – By the Sacred earth

^{^}on which

I kneel on , by the shades

^{^}that

wander near

me. By the deep & eternal grief that I feel I swear — And by thee oh night and by the spirits that preside over thee I swear to pursue the dæmon who caused this misery untill he or I shall

~~fall~~

^{^}

perish

in a mortal conflict – For this purpose I will preserve my life — To execute this

^{^}dear

revenge will I again

^{^}b

ehold the sun &

^{^}

tread the

green herbage of earth which otherwise should vanish from my eyes for ever – And I call on you spirits of the dead & you wandering ministers of vengeance to aid me & conduct me in my work. Let the cursed & hellish monster drink deep of agony – ~~And his heart~~ Let him feel the despair that now torments me.

I had begun my adjuration with solemnity & an awe that almost assured me that the shades of my murdered friends heard & approved my

~~oath~~

^{^}devotion

– But the possessed me as I concluded it &

~~I was~~

^{^}rage

choaked my utterance. I was answered through the stillness of night by a loud & fiendish laugh– It rung my ears long and heavily; the mountains re-echoed it and I felt as if all Hell surrounded me with mockery and laughing—Surely in that moment I should have been possessed by frenzy and have destroyed t my miserable existence,

~~But~~

^{^}but

that my vow was

heard and I was reserved for vengeance – The laughter died away

~~and~~

^{^}when

a well known and

~~detested~~

abhorred voice apparently close to my ear addressed me in an audible whisper – I am satisfied, ~~it said,~~ miserable wretch, you have determined to live & I am satisfied – I darted towards the place from which the ~~moon~~ sound proceeded but the

~~wretch~~

~~^{^}villain~~

_^devil

eluded my grasp.

~~When~~ suddenly the

broard disk of the moon arose and shone fully upon ✗—the dæmon who fled. —✗

^{^} his ghastly & distorted shape, as he fled with

more than mortal speed.

I persued

^{^}him;

– & for many months this

^{^}pursuit has been my task.

^{^}G

uided by a slight

clue

I w followed the windings of the

Rhone

but vainly – The mediterranean appeared and by a strange chance I saw the fiend enter by night & hide himself in a vessel bound for the black sea – I followed him

I knew the vessel in which he was concealed & he escaped me I know not how.

~~Along the~~

Amidst the wilds of Tartary&Russia although he still

~~escaped~~

^{^}evaded

I have ever followed in his track – Sometimes the peasants scared by his horrid Apparition informed me of his path Sometimes he himself who feared that if I lost all trace I should despair & die often left some mark to guide me –The snows descended on my head & I saw the

~~mark~~

^{^}print

of his huge step on the white

plain –To

you ^{^}are fast enterring on life, & care

^{^}is new to you &

^{^}

X agony

unknown

how can

~~I describe~~

^{^}

you understand

what I have felt & still feel. Cold, want &

~~thirst~~

^{^}fatigue

were

^{^}the

least pains which I was destined to endure; I was cursed by some devil & bore about with me my eternal Hell – Yet still a spirit of good followed & directed my steps when I most murmured would suddenly extricate me from my seemingly insurmountable difficulties— Sometimes when nature overcome by hunger sunk under the exhaustion a repast was prepared for me in the desart that restored & inspirited me– The fare indeed was coarse such as the peasants of the country

~~lived on~~

^{^}ate

but I may not doubt that it was set there by the spirits I had invoked to aid me. Often when all was dry ~~and~~ the heavens cloudless & I was parched with thirst – a slight cloud would bedim the sky – shed the few drops that revived me, & vanish. ¶

I followed when I could the courses of rivers but the dæmon generally avoided these as it was here that the population of the country chiefly collected– In other

s places human beings were seldom seen & I generally subsisted

^{^}on

the wild

~~game~~

^{^}

^{^}animals

that cross^{^}ed my

path – I had money with me & gained the friendship of the villagers by distributing it or bringing with me some

~~beast~~

^{^}food

that I had killed which after taking a small part I always presented to those who had provided with fire & utensils.

^{^}for cooking

My life as it passed thus was indeed hateful to me & it was during sleep alone that I could taste joy – Oh blessed sleep! often when most miserable I sunk to repose & my dreams

lu lulled

^{^}me

even to

rapture – The spirit that guarded me had surely provided these moments or rather hours of happiness that I might retain strength tofulfil my pilgrimage

~~without them I should~~

Deprived of this respite I should

have sunk under my hardships ~~& misery~~

~~but~~

during the day I was

^{^}thus

sustained & insprited by the hope of night;

~~& sleep – I then~~

^{^}for in sleep I

saw my friends my wife & my beloved country again I saw the benevolent countenance of my b father,– heard the silver

^{^}t

ones of my Elizabeths voice and beheld Clerval enjoying health & youth – Often when wearied by a toilsome march I persuaded myself that I was ~~then~~ dreaming

^{^}

until night should

come

&that ~~reality~~ I

^{^}should then

enjoyed reality

~~when I was again~~

in the arms of my dearest

friends–What

agonizing fondness did I feel for them–how did I cling to their dear forms as ^{^}sometimes they

~~pursed~~

^{^}haunted

even

the visions of my waking

hours

~~my m ^{^}d ay~~

~~as well as night dreams~~

and persuade myself that they still lived. At such moments the vengeance that burned within g me died in my heart and I pursued my path towards the destruction of the dæmon more as a task enjoined by heaven,

^{^}

X as the mechanical impulse of some power of which I was

unconscious,

than the ardent desire of my soul. ¶

What his feelings were whom I pursued I

~~hardly~~

^{^}cannot

know – ~~Yet~~

^{^}S

ometimes indeed he left marks in writing on the barks of trees or cut on stone that guided me, & instigated my fury — My reign is not yet over,

~~he said~~

^{^} was legible

^{^}in

one of these

^{^}inscriptions–

– You live & my power is complete. Follow me –I seek the everlasting ices of the north where you will feel the misery of go cold &

frost ✗—but I shall not for cold is sweeter to me than heat–—✗

to which I am impassive

You will find near this place if you follow not too tardily, a dead

~~hair~~

^{^}hare

eat & be revived. ~~for I~~ Come on my enemy we have yet to wrestle for our lives but many hard & miserable hours will you spend untill that period arrives"—

Scoffing Devils! Again do I vow vengeance again do I devote thee miserable fiend to torture & death never will I

~~leave~~

^{^}omit

my search untill he

~~dies~~

^{^}or I, perish.

– And then with what extacy shall I fe join my Elizabeth & those who even

^{^}now

prepare for me

^{^}the

reward

~~for~~

^{^}of

my tedious & horrible pilgrimage

As I pursed

^{^}

still

my journey ~~still~~ to the

northward s the snows

^{^}thickened,

& cold encreased ✗—to an almos —✗

^{^}in

ae degree almost too severe to support. The peasantry were shut up in their hovels and only a few of the most hardy ventured forth to seize the animals whom starvation had forced forth to seek for prey. The rivers were covered with ice and no fish could be procured. The triumph of my enemy encreased with the difficulty of my labours One en inscription that he left was in these words – Prepare – your toils only begin – Wrap yourself in furs & provide food for we shall soon enter on a journey where you sufferings will satisfy my ^{^}everlasting hat

^{^}red

" My courage& perseverance were inspired with new strength by these difficulties I resolved not to fail in my pur

^{^}p

ose and calling heaven to support me I continued with unabated fervour to traverse immense desarts untill the occean appeared at a distance and formed the utmost boundary of the horizon – ^{^}Oh How unlike it was to the blue se

^{^}a

s of the south Covered with ice it was only to be distinguished from land by its superior wildness & ruggedness—The greeks wept when they saw the mediterranean from the hills of Asia and hailed with rapture the boundary of their toils – I did not weep but I knelt down & thanked my ~~guardian~~ guiding spirit with a full heart for conducting me safety towards the place where I hoped notwithstanding my adversarys threat to meet & grapple with him — ~~For~~ some weeks before

this period I had procured a sledge & dogs and thus traversed the snows with inconceivable speed I know not whether the fiend possessed the same advantages but I found that as before I had

^{^}daily

lost in the advantage in my persuit I now gained on him so much that when I for the first

time saw the

occean– he was but one days journey in advance & I hoped soon to intercept him With new courage therefore I pressed on & in two days arrived at a wretched hamlet on the sea shore. I enquired concerning the fiend & gained every information –A gigantic

~~devil~~

^{^}

monster

they said had arrived the night before –Armed with a gun and many pistols & putting

^{^}to flight

the inhabitants of a solitary cottage ~~to flight~~ through fear of his ~~horr~~ terrific

appearance,

^{^}he had

~~seized on~~

^{^}carried off

their store of

wn winter

food & placing it in a sledge to draw which he

~~had~~

^{^}

had

seized on a numerous drove of trained dogs – he had harnessed

^{^}them

– & the same night

~~had~~

to the d joy of the

horror struck villagers

^{^}had pursued his journey across the ~~the~~ sea in a direction that led to no land & they conjectured that he must be speedily destroyed in the breaking of the ice or frozen by the eternal frost.–

On hearing this information I suffered a temporary fit of despair – he had escaped me and I must now commence a destructive & almost endless journey across the mountainous ices of the occean – amidst cold that few of the inhabitants could long endure &

~~how could~~

^{^}whih,

I ex

^{^}the

native of a genial & su

^{^}n

ny climate

^{^}could not hope to survive. Yet at the idea that the fiend should ~~lif~~ live & be triumphant my rage and vengeance returned & like a mighty tide overwhelmed every other feeling. After ~~tasting~~ a slight repose during which the spirits of the dead hovered round me & instigated me to toil & revenge I prepared for my journey. ¶

I exchanged my land sledge for one fashioned for the ruggedness of the

^{^}frozen

ocean

and purchasing a plentiful stock of provisions I departed from land. How many days have passed since then I know not but I have endured misery

~~that~~

^{^}which

nothing but the eternal sentiment

~~that~~

^{^}

of a just

revenge

burn

^{^}ing

within my heart could have enabled me to support. Immense & rugged mountains of ice often

~~barred up my~~

~~par~~

barred up my passage and I often heard the

^{^}

earthquake & the thunder of the

ground sea which threatened my destruction but again a frost came ✗—that secured me. —✗

& made the paths of the sea, secure.

✗—and I followed the slight tracts that my enemy had left —✗ – By the

~~consumation~~

^{^}quantity

of provision

^{^}

which I

have

consumed

I should guess that I had passed

~~three~~

~~^{^}two~~

~~months~~

^{^}three weeks

in this journey – And

~~despair~~

^{^}despondency & grief–

often wrung bitter drops from my eyes — Despair indeed had almost secured her prey & I should soon have sunk under this misery–

When

once

after the poor animals that carried me ~~along~~ had with incredible toil gained the summit of an ice mountain Th they paused to rest and one unable to move

~~sunk~~

^{^}sinking

under the toil died—I f viewed the expance before, with anguish; when suddenly my eye was arrested by a ^{^}dark speck on

^{^}

^{^}the

dusky plain – I strained my sight to

~~view~~

^{^}discover

what

~~indee~~ it could

be & uttered ^{^}a wild cry of extacy when I distinguished a sledge dogs &

~~a hideous~~

^{^}

the distorted proportions of a

well known

form

~~moving~~

~~away~~

^{^}within.

Oh ~~hope~~ with what a burning gush did hope revisit my heart – warm tears filled my eyes which I hastily wiped away that they might not

^{^}

~~^{^}be present in them to~~

intercept the view I had of the fiend. I followed— but still the dew dimmed my sight untill giving way to the emotions that oppressed me I wept aloud. ¶

But this was not the time for delay I disincumbered the ir dogs of their dead companion

~~and~~

gave them a plentiful portion of food and after an hours repose which was absolutely necessary & yet which was bitterly irksome to me I continued my path — The sledge was still visible nor did I again lose sight of it except at the moments when for a short time some ice rock

~~hid~~

^{^}concealed

^{^}

^{^} ~~from~~ with its intervening crags.

I indeed perceptibly gained on

~~it.~~

^{^}the object of my pursuit.

And after about ~~amo~~ another

~~weeks~~

^{^}days

journey I beheld myself at no more than

~~two~~

~~leagues~~

^{^}

half a

~~league~~ mile

distant. ~~from it~~

My heart bounded within me – But now when I appeared almost within grasp of my enemy my hopes were suddenly extinguished and I ~~became~~ lost all trace of him more utterly than I had ever done before A ground sea was heard – the thunder of it^{^}s

^{^}

^{^}progress

as it the waters rolled & swelled beneath me became every moment more ominous & terrific —I press^{^}ed on but ^{^}in vain ly – The wind arose the sea roared and with the mighty shock of an earthquake it sp

^{^}li

t & cracked with a ~~crash~~ tremendus and overwhelming sound — The work was soon finished in a few minutes a mighty ocean rolled between me & my enemy. And I was left difting on a scattered piece that was every moment lessening and thus preparing for me a hideous death –

~~thus~~

~~past~~

^{^}In this manner

many

~~hideous~~

hours

^{^}

passed

several of my dogs died and I myself

~~should have~~

^{^}was about to

sunk

^{^}under the accumulation of hardships

when I saw your vessel riding at ~~ansh~~ anchor and holding forth to me hopes of succour & life. I had no conception that vessels ever came so far north & was astounded the sight.

~~bu and~~ I quickly

destroy

^{^}ed

^{^}part

^{^}of

my sledge

~~I ^{^}and~~

^{^}

constructed oars and by these means was able with infinite fatique t ~~o near~~ move my ice raft in the direction of your

~~sledge~~

^{^}

vessel

I had resolved that if you were going southward still to trust myself to the mercy of the seas rather than abandon my purpose – I hoped to be able to

move

you to grant me a boat & some provi sion with I could still seek my enemy. But your direction was northward ✗— ✗—and I now daily hope that I may gai find —✗ the fiend I seek and sacrifice him to my revenge or discover certain assurances of his ~~death~~ destruction– In the mean time I consent to drag on a miserable existence uncheered but by the hope of freedom when freed from my task of vengeance —✗ ✗— and now I enjoy the hope that I may again see him and in executing on him the vengeance

—✗

~~And~~

you took me on board when ~~life~~ my vigour was ex

^{^}h

austed &

~~death would soon have~~

I should soon have sunk under my multiplied hardships to a death

^{^}which I still

dread ed for my task is unfu

^{^}l

filled. Oh when will my guiding ~~Oh! When s~~ spirit in conducting me to him allow

^{^}

the rest I so much desire! or must I die & he yet live—If I do swear to me, Walton, that he shall not escape that you will seek him & satisfy my vengeance in his death. Yet do I dare ask you to undertake my pilgrimage to endure the hardships that I have undergone. No I am not so selfish– yet When I am dead if he should appear if the ministers of vengeance should conduct him to you ✗—I confide that you would —✗ Swear that he shall not live – Swear that

~~the accumu~~

he shall not triumph over my accumulated miseries & live to make another such

wretch as I

am – Oh he is eloquent & persuasive and once his words had even power over my heart but trust him not– His soul

h is hellish

^{^}

as his

form

full of

~~malise~~

^{^}treachery

& fiend like mali

~~gnity~~

^{^}ce

– hear him not, call on the manes of William, Justine, Clerval Elizabeth, my father and of the Whretched Victor & thrust your

~~dagger~~

^{^}sword

^{^}into

his

heart– ~~If I then~~

~~'live ^{^}exist~~

~~to the knowled~~

I will hover near you & direct the steel aright ~~fear not that you commit~~

✗—act of cruelty – No the blood of all the innocent that he has murdered will plead for you —✗