The Forest and Man 51 



course, can do so better than a greenhorn, and 

 there are some helps furnished by nature herself. 

 To follow the direction of the streams is good ad- 

 vice, provided you know where they are running 

 to. Some of the counsels found in books are quite 

 absurd. For instance, it is often stated that in the 

 absence of sunshine one can tell the points of the 

 compass by the lichens and mosses on the tree 

 trunks, which are always thickest on the side of the 

 prevailing winds. What good do the points of the 

 compass do one who does not know in what direc- 

 tion his destination lies ? Besides, this sign may 

 be true of trees in exposed situations, but not of 

 those in the sheltered depths of the forest. At any 

 rate, to be lost in the woods is a sensation which no 

 one that has once had it even for a short time will 

 want to repeat. One often hears the statement 

 that nobody was ever lost for more than twenty- 

 four hours without suffering a derangement of mind, 

 and I believe there is a certain amount of truth in 

 it. The oppressive sense of utter loneliness, the 

 fear of hunger, and the actual suffering from hun- 

 ger and fatigue may undoubtedly exert a destruc- 

 tive influence on all but the strongest minds. Nor 

 are actual dangers entirely absent. As a general 

 thing our American forests, at least on the east side 

 of the Mississippi, are not infested by animals 

 fiercer than the black bear, who is very careful not 

 to get into trouble with a human being. Yet there 

 are even recent cases of people, especially children, 

 being attacked by wolves. Some eight or ten 



