THE HEART OF THE SOUTHERN CATSKILLS 53 



large openings on the east side and in the roof over 

 it. We doubled up the bed, making it thicker and 

 more nest-like, and as darkness set in, stowed our- 

 selves into it beneath our blankets. The searching 

 wind found out every crevice about our heads and 

 shoulders, and it was icy cold. Yet we fell asleep, 

 and had slept about an hour when my companion 

 sprang up in an unwonted state of excitement for so 

 placid a man. His excitement was occasioned by the 

 sudden discovery that what appeared to be a bar of 

 ice was fast taking the place of his backbone. His 

 teeth chattered, and he was convulsed with ague. I 

 advised him to replenish the fire, and to wrap him- 

 self in his blanket and cut the liveliest capers he was 

 capable of in so circumscribed a place. This he 

 promptly did, and the thought of his wild and des- 

 perate dance there in the dim light, his tall form, 

 his blanket flapping, his teeth chattering, the por- 

 cupines outside marking time with their squeals and 

 grunts, still provokes a smile, though it was a seri- 

 ous enough matter at the time. After a while, the 

 warmth came back to him, but he dared not trust 

 himself again to the boughs; he fought the cold all 

 night as one might fight a besieging foe. By care- 

 fully husbanding the fuel, the beleaguering enemy 

 was kept at bay till morning came ; but when morn- 

 ing did come, even the huge root he had used as a 

 chair was consumed. Eolled in my blanket beneath 

 a foot or more of balsam boughs, I had got some 

 fairly good sleep, and was most of the time oblivi- 

 ous to the melancholy vigil of my friend. As we 



