Difficulties of Forest Travelling. 113 



that we had overshot the spot where we had entered in the 

 morning by some six miles, and that had we continued in a 

 north-westerly direction, we might have wandered about for 

 days before arriving at a settlement. With an empty game- 

 bag, and only a crust of bread since eight a.m., I turned my 

 face homewards, wondering how many more experiences of a 

 similar nature would be required before I could be taught 

 the requisite precaution of taking bearings beforehand ; yet, 

 strange to say, I repeatedly afterwards lost my way in 

 wilderness districts where one might imagine there should 

 have been little difficulty in finding the proper course. One 

 of the common mistakes made by persons unskilled in forest 

 travelling, is a disposition to incline constantly in one direction, 

 until at length you return to some spot traversed before. This 

 is owing sometimes to the devious directions of the "logging or 

 lumber paths," which constantly intersect each other, forming 

 in many forest tracts complete labyrinths, which puzzle the 

 wanderer until he is compelled to trust to chance in making 

 his escape. 



