THE BIRCH-TREE. 15 



by mists. At length the sun dispels the fog-bank, 

 which evaporating into nothingness, the distance be- 

 comes revealed, and in it you behold the object of 

 your search. 



Your first feeling is gratitude that you are not 

 alone that there are still others in the world. Such 

 thoughts I experienced when far south of the Cape ; 

 again I felt them when I came upon the deep, clean 

 impressions cut in the surface of the earth by the 

 hoofs of an antlered monarch of the wild highlands 

 of the Far West. 



Who that has wandered through America does 

 not love the birch-tree ? Of all the dwellers of the 

 forest to me it is the most attractive, for it combines 

 qualities as varied as numerous. In wild life it is 

 of great utility to man, for from its bark can be 

 made anything, from a canoe to writing-paper or a 

 cooking utensil. Its long flaccid boughs provide a 

 capital, almost a luxurious bed ; it is well suited for 

 torches and firewood ; while no tree is more graceful 

 in outline, or in its aspect more enlivening to the 

 landscape. When, in turning an angle of rock, one 

 stood before me, its appearance recalled so many 

 pleasant memories that I almost hugged it with joy. 



1 Fortuna favet fortibus? Can I be egotistical 

 enough to accredit myself with bravery, for fortune 

 has certainly turned, and is favouring me with 

 unexpected kindness ? Every mile presents new 

 attractions, and my increased buoyancy of spirit 

 appears to become infectious, for my animals step 



