BIRCH BROWSINGS 



sunset when we turned back, and before 

 we had got half way up the mountain it 

 began to be quite dark. We were often 

 obliged to rest our packs against trees and 

 take breath, which made our progress slow. 

 Finally a halt was called, beside an immense 

 flat rock which had paused in its slide down 

 the mountain, and we prepared to encamp 

 for the night. A fire was built, the rock 

 cleared off, a small ration of bread served 

 out, our accoutrements hung up out of the 

 way of the hedgehogs that were supposed 

 to infest the locality, and then we disposed 

 ourselves for sleep. If the owls or porcu- 

 pines (and I think I heard one of the latter 

 in the middle of the night) reconnoitred our 

 camp, they saw a buffalo robe spread upon 

 a rock, with three old felt hats arranged on 

 one side, and three pairs of sorry-looking 

 cowhide boots protruding from the other. 



When we lay down, there was apparently 

 not a mosquito in the woods ; but the " no- 

 see-ems," as Thoreau's Indian aptly named 

 the midges, soon found us out, and after 

 the fire had gone down annoyed us very 

 much. My hands and wrists suddenly be- 

 gan to smart and itch in a most unaccount- 

 able manner. My first thought was that 

 97 



