322 AUDUBON 



that afford the most valuable timber for naval architec- 

 ture and other purposes. 



At the season which is the best for this kind of labor, 

 heavy fogs not unfrequently cover the country, so as to 

 render it difficult for one to see farther than thirty or 

 forty yards in any direction. The woods, too, present so 

 little variety that every tree seems the mere counterpart 

 of every other ; and the grass, when it has not been burnt, 

 is so tall that a man of ordinary stature cannot see over 

 it, whence it is necessary for him to proceed with great 

 caution, lest he should unwittingly deviate from the ill- 

 defined trail which he follows. To increase the difficulty, 

 several trails often meet, in which case, unless the ex- 

 plorer be perfectly acquainted with the neighborhood, it 

 would be well for him to lie down, and wait until the fog 

 should disperse. Under such circumstances, the best 

 woodsmen are not unfrequently bewildered for a while; 

 and I well remember that such an occurrence happened 

 to myself, at a time when I had imprudently ventured to 

 pursue a wounded quadruped, which led me some distance 

 from the track. 



The live-oaker had been jogging onwards for several 

 hours, and became aware that he must have travelled con- 

 siderably more than the distance between his cabin and 

 the "hummock" which he desired to reach. To his 

 alarm, at the moment when the fog dispersed, he saw the 

 sun at its meridian height, and could not recognize a 

 single object around him. 



Young, healthy, and active, he imagined he had walked 

 with more than usual speed, and had passed the place to 

 which he was bound. He accordingly turned his back 

 upon the sun, and pursued a different route, guided by a 

 small trail. Time passed, and the sun headed his course; 

 he saw it gradually descend in the west ; but all around 

 him continued as if enveloped with mystery. The huge 

 gray trees spread their giant boughs over him, the rank 



