12 In Touch with Nature. 



word. There was endless work to do, but who 

 can resist the golden chains that birds bind about 

 us ? There was a Carolina wren within a stone's 

 throw of the tent, and when it sang, I was down 

 the river fifty miles or more, and rusty barns re- 

 placed the rugged mountains. It is not advocating 

 laziness to lie abed, if life's pleasure comes by so 

 doing, and our time is not another's. To insure 

 being in touch with nature this day, I had the 

 birds rouse me very gradually, and my proper 

 business was to do wholly as I pleased. 



The sun was well above the Jersey hills when 

 the river was crossed and we stood on the island. 

 I confess to our method being too cold-blooded 

 and business-like. It had been told us that In- 

 dians once lived here ; it was left to us to prove 

 it. Nothing would come amiss, whether bones or 

 stone weapons. It was our purpose to explore, but 

 with the first arrow-head found, I was surfeited ; 

 kicked over the traces and made for the woods. 

 The others labored ; I loafed. Shut in by a goodly 

 company of ancient trees, there was opportunity 

 to reduce loafing to a fine art. I did not offer to 

 take the trees by the hand, but every one patted 



