TRAVELLING IN A CIRCLE. 



BY J. P. H. 



THE little pocket-compass is by no means a contemptible 

 article in the estimation of a woodsman ; it has a place in his 

 affections equal, perhaps, to that of his dog or gun, and not only 

 guides him unerringly through the dense and trackless for- 

 ests, but oftentimes serves him in the capacity of a time-piece. 

 He places it on the muzzle of his gun, and, if after it has 

 become settled, the south end of the needle points directly un- 

 der the sun, he concludes that it is noon ; or, at least, near 

 enough for his purposes. His compass is the most trustwor- 

 thy servant he has, and it never fails him if he heeds its 

 admonitions. But the inexperienced woodsman is sometimes 

 quite apt to get into a quarrel with his compass, especially 

 when he loses his bearings and gets his head a little turned. 

 Thus, when most needing its aid, he frequently heaps curses 

 upon it, and declares it is " all out of fix." Or he imagines 

 he has come into close proximity to a bed of iron ore, lode- 

 stone, or some other wonderful thing that has bewitched his 

 compass. It does not at first occur to him that there can be 

 any thing wrong in his calculations, but he reasons something 

 after the style of the old Indian, who, when he was unable to 

 find his wigwam, vehemently declared, "Indian no lost I 

 Indian here ! Wigwam lost ! " 



It is a noteworthy fact that persons lost in the woods travel 

 in a circuitous course so accurately that they sometimes 

 revolve round to the same point several times within a short 

 period. 



T told me that he was once travelling in the woods 



when there was snow on the ground, and all of a sudden came 



