Corncrakes， quails， nightingales， and woodcocks were calling，crickets and grasshoppers were chirruping. There was a lightmist over the grass， and clouds were scurrying straight aheadacross the sky near the moon. Nature was awake， as thoughafraid of missing the best moments of her life.
I walked along a narrow path at the very edge of a railwayembankment. The moonlight glided over the lines which werealready covered with dew. Great shadows from the clouds keptflitting over the embankment. Far ahead， a dim green light wasglimmering peacefully.
“So everything is well，” I thought， looking at them.
I had a quiet， peaceful， comfortable feeling in my heart.
I was returning from a tryst， I had no need to hurry； I wasnot sleepy， and I was conscious of youth and health in everysigh， every step I took， rousing a dull echo in the monotonoushum of the night. I don’t know what I was feeling then， but Iremember I was happy， very happy.
I had gone not more than three-quarters of a mile when Isuddenly heard behind me a monotonous sound， a rumbling，rather like the roar of a great stream. It grew louder and louderevery second， and sounded nearer and nearer. I looked round；a hundred paces from me was the dark copse from which Ihad only just come； there the embankment turned to the rightin a graceful curve and vanished among the trees. I stood stillin perplexity and waited. A huge black body appeared at onceat the turn， noisily darted towards me， and with the swiftnessof a bird flew past me along the rails. Less than half a minutepassed and the blur had vanished， the rumble melted away intothe noise of the night.
It was an ordinary goods truck. There was nothing peculiarabout it in itself， but its appearance without an engine and inthe night puzzled me. Where could it have come from andwhat force sent it flying so rapidly along the rails？ Where didit come from and where was it flying to？
If I had been superstitious I should have made up my mindit was a party of demons and witches journeying to a devils’
sabbath， and should have gone on my way； but as it was， thephenomenon was absolutely inexplicable to me. I did notbelieve my eyes， and was entangled in conjectures like a fly ina spider’s web....
I suddenly realized that I was utterly alone on the wholevast plain； that the night， which by now seemed inhospitable，was peeping into my face and dogging my footsteps； all thesounds， the cries of the birds， the whisperings of the trees，seemed sinister， and existing simply to alarm my imagination.
I dashed on like a madman， and without realizing what I wasdoing I ran， trying to run faster and faster. And at once I heardsomething to which I had paid no attention before： that is， theplaintive whining of the telegraph wires.
“This is beyond everything，” I said， trying to shame myself.
“It’s cowardice！ it’s silly！”
But cowardice was stronger than common sense. I onlyslackened my pace when I reached the green light， where I sawa dark signal-box， and near it on the embankment the figure ofa man， probably the signalman.
“Did you see it？” I asked breathlessly.
“See whom？ What？”
“Why， a truck ran by.”
“I saw it，...” the peasant said reluctantly. “It broke awayfrom the goods train. There is an incline at the ninetieth mile...；the train is dragged uphill. The coupling on the last truck gaveway， so it broke off and ran back.... There is no catching itnow！...”
The strange phenomenon was explained and its fantasticcharacter vanished. My panic was over and I was able to go onmy way.
My third fright came upon me as I was going home fromstand shooting in early spring. It was in the dusk of evening.
The forest road was covered with pools from a recent showerof rain， and the earth squelched under one’s feet. The crimsonglow of sunset flooded the whole forest， coloring the whitestems of the birches and the young leaves. I was exhausted andcould hardly move.
Four or five miles from home， walking along the forest road，I suddenly met a big black dog of the water spaniel breed. Ashe ran by， the dog looked intently at me， straight in my face，and ran on.
“A nice dog！” I thought. “Whose is it？”
I looked round. The dog was standing ten paces off withhis eyes fixed on me. For a minute we scanned each other insilence， then the dog， probably flattered by my attention， cameslowly up to me and wagged his tail.
I walked on， the dog following me.
“Whose dog can it be？” I kept asking myself. “Where doeshe come from？”
I knew all the country gentry for twenty or thirty milesround， and knew all their dogs. Not one of them had a spaniellike that. How did he come to be in the depths of the forest， ona track used for nothing but carting timber？ He could hardlyhave dropped behind someone passing through， for there wasnowhere for the gentry to drive to along that road.
I sat down on a stump to rest， and began scrutinizing mycompanion. He， too， sat down， raised his head， and fastenedupon me an intent stare. He gazed at me without blinking.
I don’t know whether it was the influence of the stillness，the shadows and sounds of the forest， or perhaps a result ofexhaustion， but I suddenly felt uneasy under the steady gazeof his ordinary doggy eyes. I thought of Faust and his bulldog，and of the fact that nervous people sometimes when exhaustedhave hallucinations. That was enough to make me get uphurriedly and hurriedly walk on. The dog followed me.
“Go away！” I shouted.
The dog probably liked my voice， for he gave a gleeful jumpand ran about in front of me.
“Go away！” I shouted again.
The dog looked round， stared at me intently， and wagged histail good-humoredly. Evidently my threatening tone amusedhim. I ought to have patted him， but I could not get Faust’sdog out of my head， and the feeling of panic grew more andmore acute... Darkness was coming on， which completed myconfusion， and every time the dog ran up to me and hit mewith his tail， like a coward I shut my eyes. The same thinghappened as with the light in the belfry and the truck on therailway： I could not stand it and rushed away.
At home I found a visitor， an old friend， who， after greetingme， began to complain that as he was driving to me he had losthis way in the forest， and a splendid valuable dog of his haddropped behind.