170 WAKE-ROBIN 



hunters, shouldered his axe, and set out, holding 

 a straight course through the woods, and turning 

 aside for neither swamps, streams, nor mountains. 

 When he paused to rest he would mark some object 

 ahead of him with his eye, in order that on getting 

 up again he might not deviate from his course. His 

 directors had told him of a hunter's cabin about 

 midway on his route, which if he struck he might 

 be sure he was right. About noon this cabin was 

 reached, and at sunset he emerged at the head of 

 Dry Brook. 



After looking in vain for the line of marked 

 trees, we moved off to the left in a doubtful, hesi- 

 tating manner, keeping on the highest ground and 

 blazing the trees as we went. We were afraid to 

 go down hill, lest we should descend too soon; our 

 vantage-ground was high ground. A thick fog com- 

 ing on, we were more bewildered than ever. Still 

 we pressed forward, climbing up ledges and wading 

 through ferns for about two hours, when we paused 

 by a spring that issued from beneath an immense 

 wall of rock that belted the highest part of the 

 mountain. There was quite a broad plateau here, 

 and the birch wood was very dense, and the trees 

 of unusual size. 



After resting and exchanging opinions, we all 

 concluded that it was best not to continue our search 

 incumbered as we were; but we were not willing to 

 abandon it altogether, and I proposed to my com- 

 panions to leave them beside the spring with our 

 traps, while I made one thorough and final effort to 



