132 



THE ADIRONDACK. 



save my life.'' " Mr. W — d, was you broke of your 

 rest ?" " No : I slept pretty well, considering the 

 circumstances." Turning to Mr. P — , I remarked, 

 " Well, Mr. P — , I saw you get up once when I rose 

 to put some wood upon the fire. You lay rolled up in 

 your blanket like a mummy, while the sparks from 

 the fire fell in a shower upon you. I thought you 

 would find it rather too hot before mornino-." " I 

 don't remember getting up at all," he replied ; "proba- 

 bly the roaring fire you made did cause the smoke to 

 choke me. I never waked but once, and then I was 

 startled by the sound of an axe ; I opened my eyes, 

 find saw you splitting down the stump — the root of 

 which I had made my pillow — directly over my head." 

 This, of course, I stoutly denied, amidst the uproari- 

 ous laugh of the company. I then remembered the 

 frightened look he gave me, as I was cutting into a 

 stump near by him, and in the next moment roll 

 rapidly in his blanket down the hill. The suddenness 

 and oddity of the movement surprised me at the time, 

 but now it was all explained. In his half-wakened 

 state, he saw the bit of my axe gleaming in the fire 

 light, and thought it was descending directly on 



