48 HEAKT OF THE SOUTHERN CATSKILLS 



its back in the bottom of the old seas, and then 

 got lifted up again. This happened so long 

 ago that the memor}^ of the oldest inhabitant of 

 these parts yields no clew to the time. 



A pleasant task we had in reflooring and 

 reroofing the log hut with balsam boughs 

 against the night. Plenty of small balsams 

 grew all about, and we soon had a huge pile of 

 their branches in the old hut. What a trans- 

 formation, this fresh green carpet and our fra- 

 grant bed, like the deep-furred robe of some 

 huge animal wrought in that dingy interior! 

 Two or three things disturbed our sleep. A 

 cup of strong beef-tea taken for supper dis- 

 turbed mine ; then the porcupines kept up such 

 a grunting and chattering near our heads, just 

 on the other side of the logs, that sleep was 

 difficult. In my wakeful mood I was a good 

 deal annoyed by a little rabbit that kept whip- 

 ping in at our dilapidated door and nibbling at 

 our bread and hard-tack. He persisted even 

 after the gray of the morning appeared. Then 

 about four o'clock it began gently to rain. I 

 think I heard the first drop that fell. My 

 companions ^vere all in sound sleep. The rain 

 increased, and gradually the sleepers awoke. 

 It was like the tread of an advancing enemy 

 which every ear had been expecting. The roof 

 over us was of the poorest, and we had no con- 

 fidence in it. It was made of the thin bark of 

 spruce and balsam, and was full of hollows and 

 depressions. Presently these hollows got full 

 of water, when there was a simultaneous down- 



