1 6 November — A SJupherdess* 



forest which covers a hundred square miles ; its com- 

 plicated and difficult geography, not thoroughly known 

 to any human being ; its endless variety of hill and dale, 

 that it would take weeks of travel to explore in their 

 intricate detail. And then I reflected on the single hour 

 of daylight that remained to us — one hour — and that 

 we were not only unprovided with food, but had no 

 covering besides our light pedestrian dress. Alexis had 

 brought his gun. I had my tobacco, and a good pro- 

 vision of matches, and a little brandy in my flask ; but 

 in the way of food, not even so much as a biscuit. 



A Shepherdess — Her Ignorance — A Shepherd Lad — I resolve to fol- 

 low a Rivulet — Emerson's Feeling about the Forest — That of Dante 

 — How we were led by the Rivulet — Our Situation — Resolves for 

 the Future — The Silence of the Woods — A Wild Sow — We kill a 

 little Pig — Our Bonfire — Signals — Searchers — Help reaches us — 

 Our Geographical Situation. 



THE time was past when it might have been yet 

 possible to retrace our steps, and the only prac- 

 ticable issue before us was to get out of the forest as 

 we might. I knew that there were occasional openings, 

 little patches of tilled ground with rude habitations 

 for the woodmen, and in one of these openings we 

 should probably find a guide. We came at last to a 

 clearing of about five acres on the slope of a hill-side, 

 and from this place were able to get a view of the 

 surrounding country. All that was visible consisted 



