138 THE BKAYKK KIVKK \\.\TKKS. 



cease from troubling. The night was settling down upon 

 us as we readied South Branch, and we pushed up that 

 stream, a short distance, and made eamp. While the 

 guides were constructing a " liower of houghs " we cast our 

 flies among the leaping trout, at the landing, and took a 

 good number, but they were small. 



As the darkness closed in upon u.^and we gathered before 

 the rousing tire, and stretched our weary limbs upon our 

 couch of fresh and fragrant hemlock boughs, we discovered, 

 to our consternation, that the Manager and hi> guide wen 

 mi-sing. They were unconlrovertibly lost or drowned, or 

 both. What precise mishap had indeed befallen them in 

 this inhospitable region we tried to imagine, but none of 

 the theories of their absence satisfied the whole party, 

 doubtless because each man clung with alVeclion and 

 respect tn his own view of the case. It was certain that 

 our lost friend was without axe. blanket oreamp kit.allhon.h 

 it was an equally Certain and miserable fact that the entire 

 food supply of the party was with the missing boat, wher- 

 ever that might be. The conclusive statement of our chief 

 guide, upon thi> point, brought a groan from somewhere 

 near the stomach of the Kditor, while the Judge decided 

 sriitenliiuisly. quoting a semilegal maxim in the body of 

 hi* opinion, that " what can't be cured must be endured." 

 The Thin .Man, who had been gratify ingly successful with 

 his rod, generously and (they said) rather patroni/ingly 

 declared that there need be no fears for breakfast if all 

 hands would be content to eat his trout. 



