PAUL AND VIRGINIA. 37 



" difficult a thing it is to aâ; properly ! Evil alone 

 ** is performed with facility !" 



When Paul had arrived on the farther fide, he 

 was defirous of continuing the journey, laden as 

 he was with the weight of his fifter, and he flat- 

 tered himfelf that he fliould be able thus to afcend 

 the mountain of the Three Paps, which he faw be- 

 fore him, at the diftance of a league and a half, 

 under the fame burden with which he had crofTed 

 the river; but his ftrength very foon failed him, 

 and he was obliged to fet her on the ground, and 

 repofe himfelf by her fide. Virginia then faid to 

 him, "Brother, the day is declining faft; you 

 '* have ftill fome ftrength remaining, and mine 

 '*■ entirely fails ; fuffer me to remain here, and do 

 " you return alone to our cottage, to reftore tran- 

 *' quillity to our mothers." " Oh no !" faid PW, 

 " I will never leave you. If the night Ihould fur- 

 '* prize us in thefe woods, I will light a fire, I 

 " will fell thefe palm-trees, you fhall eat the cole- 

 " wort, and I will make of it's leaves an ajoupa to 

 *' (helter you." Virginia, however, being a little 

 revived, gathered, from the trunk of an old tree 

 which grew upon the edge of the river, long leaves 

 of the fcolopendra, which hung down from it's 

 boughs. She made of thefe, a fpecies of fan- 

 dais, which (he put on her feet ; for they were 

 wounded to bleeding, by the (harp ftones which 



D 3 covered 



