CAPTURED BY BBOWN BEARS. 
217 
had been " bushed out " in the first place by man. 
Whichever theory was correct, the path was a good one ; 
otherwise, it w^ould have been impossible for the women 
to penetrate the thick underbrush which covered the 
whole district through which they were passing. 
A day went by, and nothing was seen to indicate any 
especially novel feature. The direction was still steadily 
southwest. 
Toward nightfall they came in sight of a range of low 
hills, differing from any they had yet passed, in that they 
were entirely bare of vegetation, save a coating, here and 
there, of crinkled black lichens. Their aspect was dreary 
in the extreme. 
The Buttons camped for the night beside the brook 
they had been following, and in the morning pushed on. 
Let me go on ahead with Solomon!" begged Hugh; 
and the tw^o were allowed to precede the rest of the party. 
They were hardly out of sight when Richard called his 
brother's attention to a singular black cloud, creeping 
up over the northern sky. 
Piling huge heaps of shadowy vapor on high, it spread 
rapidly, until the sun disappeared, and every object wore 
a lifeless, gray aspect. It was clear that a severe storm 
was at hand. 
Immediate preparations were made to meet it. Tents 
were spread, and secured with double pegs. Everything 
was got under cover as fast as possible; and none too 
soon, for the men had barely time to dive into the tents. 
