164 ON THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS 
and largest forest on the mountain, a stand of 
virgin hemlocks in a steep, wild ravine, and until 
daylight came the crows were almost helpless, 
though they kept up a loud rumpus overhead, 
and dashed down as near as they dared. Jim, 
however, and two or three more of the leaders, 
wasted no time here. Like the messengers in the 
poem, they rode forth, to east and west and south 
and north, to summon their array. The dawn 
was just reddening the east, and the stars grow- 
ing faint, as Jim sped northward, flying hard and 
low, not seventy-five feet over the tree tops, and 
cawing as he went. Two miles beyond he woke 
a little flock of crows in some pines in a swamp, 
and glancing ‘back saw them headed for the moun- 
tain. He did not pause, however. On and on 
he sped, swinging now five miles to the east, then 
five miles to the west, then back into his course, 
and always seeing out of the corner of his eye 
some band of crows leaving for the spot whence 
he had come. The sun was full up before he 
turned at last, feeling that he had roused minute 
men enough, and himself returned to the moun- 
tain, now but a blue-green dome on the southern 
