330 TKAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



minated the young man's indecision, and induced him 

 to take a step, which, whilst it seemed to ensure his 

 own destruction, attested the triumph of the better 

 principle within. Hastily stripping off his clothes, 

 he tied them in a bundle, and jumping into the chilly 

 stream, in a quarter of an hour reached the opposite 

 shore. The parting words of the noble Indian girl 

 had decided him to return to the village, and give 

 himself up to the fury of the terrible Miko. Any 

 other consideration was subordinate to that generous 

 motive. 



Upon reaching the right bank of the river, Hodges 

 proceeded to seek the path through the thicket. But 

 the difficulties he encountered were such as might 

 well deter the most persevering. The western side 

 of the Sabine, like that of the Natchez, is a gentle 

 slope, ending in a ridge which again sinks gradually 

 and imperceptibly down to the swamp. The black 

 masses of cypress and cedar allowed him to penetrate 

 a few hundred paces through them, and to reach the 

 summit of the rising ground; but as soon as the 

 descent began, he found it impossible to get a step 

 further. The slope was covered with a description 

 of tree which he had never before seen or heard of. 

 The stems were not thicker than a man's body, but 

 they grew close together, and were covered with 

 thorns as long as his arm, presenting the appearance 

 of millions of brown bayonets, so thickly planted, 

 and so manifold in their direction, as scarcely to 



