One morning in the early spring of 1851, Darius was awakened by a loud knocking at the door. He opened it to find a messenger from the lake, who told him that Old Fred had been found dead in his cottage, and that he was wanted at once.
Darius hurried to the lake, and there, sure enough, was the old trapper lying dead on the floor of his little cottage. He had been dead for some time, and the coroner’s jury decided that he had died of fright. Darius was greatly shocked and grieved at the old man’s death, and he was determined to find out what had caused it. He searched the cottage, but found nothing to explain the mystery.
He decided to take up the old man’s trap line and follow it to its end. He was sure he would find the answer there. He started out on the trail, and as he went deeper and deeper into the forest, he began to feel a strange dread. He had never been so far into the woods before, and he was sure he was being watched. He heard strange noises, and he felt a presence in the shadows.
He kept going, though, and eventually he came to a clearing in the woods. In the center of the clearing was a large, ancient looking stone, and around it were several smaller stones arranged in a circle. Darius knew he had found the source of Old Fred’s terror. He had stumbled upon an ancient burial ground, and he knew that the presence he had felt was that of the spirits of the dead.
He quickly turned and ran, and he never went back to that place again. But he never forgot the terror he had felt, and he often told the story to his children and grandchildren.
And so ends the story of Darius Merrill and his first experience in exploration of the unknown depths of the forest. He never knew what had caused Old Fred’s death, but he was sure it had something to do with the ancient burial ground he had found. He was never able to explain the strange dread he had felt, but he was sure it was the presence of the spirits of the dead.
What mysteries of Chateaugay Lake haunt you?