BIRCH BROWSINGS 



back, choosing my course without any refer- 

 ence to the circuitous route by which I had 

 come, and loading heavily and firing at in- 

 tervals. I must have aroused many long- 

 dormant echoes from a Rip Van Winkle 

 sleep. As my powder got low, I fired and 

 halloed alternately, till I came near splitting 

 both my throat and gun. Finally, after I 

 had begun to have a very ugly feeling of 

 alarm and disappointment, and to cast about 

 vaguely for some course to pursue in the 

 emergency that seemed near at hand, 

 namely, the loss of my companions now I 

 had found the lake, a favoring breeze 

 brought me the last echo of a response. I 

 rejoined with spirit, and hastened with all 

 speed in the direction whence the sound 

 had come, but, after repeated trials, failed 

 to elicit another answering sound. This 

 filled me with apprehension again. I feared 

 that my friends had been misled by the 

 reverberations, and I pictured them to my- 

 self hastening in the opposite direction. 

 Paying little attention to my course, but 

 paying dearly for my carelessness afterward, 

 I rushed forward to undeceive them. But 

 they had not been deceived, and in a few 

 moments an answering shout revealed them 

 107 



