AN EVENING WITH AN OLD TRAPPER. 137 



this time that I could not pull myself out. I floundered 

 about among the broken ice and water for quite a little while ; 

 but finally managed to relieve myself of my luggage some- 

 what after the same manner as before. I then succeeded in 

 reaching the shore, not in very good trim for travel either, 

 for the ice, which had frozen on my clothes during my three 

 duckings, made them very stiff and heavy. 



" In spite of all this I managed to get to Folsom's ; but 

 here I had another disappointment. No one was there, and 

 the fire was all out. Of course I could not stop in the con- 

 dition I was in, as I should have frozen to death in half an 

 hour. The nearest house was at Reed's, fifteen miles further 

 down the river, and there was no other way for me but to get 

 there as soon as possible. 



" So I started down the river for Reed's. It was eleven or 

 twelve o'clock at night, and I had a pretty hard time of it, but 

 got there at last. Reed's house was on a hill ; and when I got 

 to the foot of that great hill I could n't walk up it to save my 

 life ; I had to crawl up on my hands and knees. Finally I 

 got to the house and rapped at the door, and Reed came and 

 opened it. I suppose I did look rather forlorn ; at any rate, 

 he seemed almost frightened at first. ' For God's sake, 

 Hutchins, is this you ? ' were the first words he said. I 

 explained my circumstances to him, and he took me into the 

 house, built up a big fire and thawed me out, and then put 

 me to bed, where I slept till the next day at noon, and then 

 got up, feeling as well as usual, only a little stiff. 



" It was thirty miles from the place on the Androscoggin 

 where I first started from, to our camp ; fifteen miles from 

 there to Folsom's ; and fifteen miles from Folsom's to Reed's, 

 — in all sixty miles. I started from the Androscoggin at 

 eight o'clock in the morning, and got to Reed's at half past 

 three the next morning, making the whole sixty miles in nine- 

 teen hours and a half I think if I had allowed myself to be 

 frightened or disheartened, I should have gone under ; but I 

 kept up good heart, and came out all right." 



