BIRCH BROWSINGS. 241 



But something must be done. It was then 

 mid-afternoon, and the prospect of spending 

 another night on the mountains, without 

 food or drink, was not pleasant. So we 

 moved down the ridge. Here another line 

 of marked trees was found, the course of 

 which formed an obtuse angle with the one 

 we had followed. It kept on the top of the 

 ridge for perhaps a mile, when it entirely 

 disappeared, and we were as much adrift as 

 ever. Then one of the party swore an oath, 

 and said he was going out of those woods, hit 

 or miss, and wheeling to the right, instantly 

 plunged over the brink of the mountain. 

 The rest followed, but would fain have 

 paused and ciphered away at their own un- 

 certainties, to see if a certainty could not be 

 arrived at as to where we would come out. 

 But our bold leader was solving the problem 

 in the right way. Down and down and still 

 down we went, as if we were to bring up in 

 the bowels of the earth. It was by far the 

 steepest descent we had made, and we felt a 

 grim satisfaction in knowing that we could 

 not retrace our steps this time, be the issue 

 what it might. As we paused on the brink 

 of a ledge of rocks, we chanced to see 

 through the trees distant cleared land. A 

 house or barn also was dimly descried. 



