212 BIRCH BROWSINGS. 



mountain, hoping' to cross the range that in- 

 tervened between us and the lake by sunset. 

 We engaged a good-natured, but rather in- 

 dolent, young man, who happened to be stop- 

 ping at the house, and who had carried a 

 knapsack in the Union armies, to pilot us 

 a couple of miles into the woods so as to 

 guard against any mistakes at the outset. 

 It seemed the easiest thing in the world to 

 find the lake. The lay of the land was so 

 simple, according to accounts, that I felt 

 sure I could go to it in the dark. " Go up 

 this little brook to its source on the side of 

 the mountain," they said. " The valley that 

 contains the lake heads directly on the other 

 side." What could be easier! But on a 

 little further inquiry they said we should 

 " bear well to the left " when we reached the 

 top of the mountain. This opened the doors 

 again; "bearing well to the left " was an un- 

 certain performance in strange woods. We 

 might bear so well to the left that it would 

 bring us ill. But why bear to the left at all, 

 if the lake was directly opposite ? Well, not 

 quite opposite ; a little to" the left. There 

 were two or three other valleys that headed 

 in near there. We could easily find the 

 right one. But to make assurance doubly 



