LOST IN THE WOODS. 81 



We were each of us too much engaged with our own 

 affairs to notice the direction he took, but supposing, 

 of course, he was ahead, pushed on. But as we came 

 to the next launching-place, he was nowhere to be 

 found. "He has gone on, I guess," said one, "to 

 the next carrying-place." We shouted, but the echo 

 of our own voices was the only reply the boundless 

 forest sent back, and one was dispatched ahead to 

 ascertain whether our conjecture was true. The re- 

 port was soon brought back that P. was nowhere to 

 be found. I, by this time, began to feel somewhat 

 alarmed, for the lost one was my brother, and, taking 

 Mitchell with me, hastene'd back towards the spot 

 where he had parted from us. I shouted aloud, but 

 the deep waterfall drowned my voice, and its sullen 

 roar seemed mocking my anxious halloo. I then 

 fired my rifle, but the sharp report was followed only 

 by its own echo. Mitchell then discharged his, and, 

 after waiting anxiously awhile, we heard a shot far 

 up the river. Soon after, "bang — bang" went two 

 more guns in the same direction. The poor fellow 

 had heard our shot, and, fearing we might not hear 

 his in return and so take a wrong direction, just stood 

 and loaded and fired as fast as he could. When we 

 found him, he was pale as marble, and looked like 

 one who had been in a state of perfect bewilderment. 

 On leaving us, instead of going down stream, as he 

 should have done, he had gone directly up. After 

 awhile he came out on the bank of a strange river. 

 As it was on the wrong side of him to be the one we 

 had floated down, ho thought he must have crossed 



8* 



