14000 MILES 



advised to keep our present direction and avoid the sandy 

 valley roads. We left Newport without any idea where 

 we should find shelter for the night, as hotels were 

 scarce, but before dark we were again very comfortably 

 "put up." 



The clouds were heavy next morning when we 

 resumed our driving, and in the afternoon the rain fell in 

 torrents. When the first shower came, we drove under a 

 church shed for protection, but after a half-hour we con- 

 cluded time was too precious to be spent in that way, so 

 put aside our books and prepared to brave the storm. 

 Our courage and waterproofs were put to the test, but 

 neither failed, and at night we hung ourselves up to dry 

 in a little country tavern. 



The next day we crossed the Connecticut River into 

 Thetford, leaving New Hampshire to begin our wan- 

 derings in Vermont ; and wanderings they proved to be, 

 for the first day at least. We were in the region of 

 copper mines and of friends, but we did not know exactly 

 where either the mines or the friends were to be found. 

 We drove to West Fairlee, for we had ordered our mail 

 forwarded there, and our first letters from home were 

 eagerly anticipated. The news was good, and after dinner 

 we began inquiries about our mining explorations. 

 There seemed to be as many opinions as there were 

 people, but we started off at last with directions to turn 

 twice to the right, go two miles, leave the red school- 

 house to the left, cross a bridge, go down a hill and 

 through Bear or Bare Gap (we never found out which), 

 strike a new road, etc. We were not sure that we 

 remembered the precise order of these directions, but we 



21 



