272 THE GLIMMER OF A CAMP-FIRE. 



wandered out of sight of the camp of his friends. He scanned every point of the 

 compass, but in no direction could he catch so much as a glimmer of a light. 



As you may suppose, he was in anything but a comfortable state of mind. It 

 was alarming enough to learn that he was lost in an exceedingly dangerous country, 

 with many hours of darkness before him, and without an effective weapon with 

 which to defend himself. 



" Well, I have gone and done it," he muttered with a sigh, conscious of a faint- 

 ness which made him feel like sitting down until it passed over. "This is about the 

 worst scrape of my life. I'll hold on to the cloth anyway, for it has proved too 

 good a friend to cast aside." 



It began raining, and he found the canvas was a friend in more than one respect 

 By gathering the folds around his shoulders, it served as a protection against the 

 wet. The air grew chillier, and, but for it, he would have been in anything but a 

 comfortable state. 



This was nothing, however, to compare to his wretchedness over the feeling that 

 he was lost, and that, in all probability, he would not be able to find his way to 

 camp until the rising of the morrow's sun. 



What should he do ? 



He was tempted to lie down, and, wrapping himself as best he could in the 

 canvas, bear it all in grim silence. 



But he was not yet rid of his fear of the lion, and, if the beast was not still 

 lurking in the neighborhood, others of his kind or of an equally dangerous species 

 were likely to discover him. 



One of the hardest things to do at such times is to sit or stand still, and wait for 

 the minutes to grow into hours. Dick was unable to do that, so he kept trudging 

 on, peering in every direction for the welcome glimmer that would prove a beacon 

 light indeed to him. 



The rain soon ceased, but the gloom was, if possible, more profound than ever. 

 He was literally going it blind, and probably he would have come to a stop after a 

 brief while, but for the fact that he found himself ascending quite an elevation. 



" This must be the hill I came over when chasing the lion," was his thought; 

 "it hid the camp from my sight and ought to reveal it when I reach the top 

 helloa ! " 



With a thrill of pleasure, he caught the star-like twinkle of a point of light, and 

 felt that his troubles were substantially ended. 



