Balsamo, the magician; or, the memoirs of a physician

CHAPTER I.

THE GRAND MASTER OF THE SECRET SOCIETY.

On the left bank of the Rhine, near the spot where the Selz rivulet springs forth, the foothill ranges rise of many mountains, of which the bristling humps seem to rush northerly like herds of frightened buffaloes, disappearing in the haze. These mountains tower over a deserted region, forming a guard around one more lofty tha...