Lost in the Backwoods

more value than man

ly and tranquilly as if they had been under the protecting care of their beloved parents, on their little palliasses of corn straw; but they had been cared for by Him who neither slu

rrors had filled the minds of their distracted parent

their own voices, were the only sounds that met their anxious ears. At daybreak they returned, sad and dispirited, to their homes, to snatch a morsel of food, endeavour to cheer the drooping hearts of the weeping mothers, and hurry off, taking different directions. But, unfortunately, they had little clue to the route which Hector and Louis had taken, there being many cattle-paths through the woods. Louis's want of truthfulness had caused this uncertainty, as he had left no intimation of the path he purpos

atharine to have left her work and forsaken her household duties to go rambling away with the boys, for she never left the house when her mother was absent from it without her express permission. And now she was gone,-lost to them perhaps for ever. Th

of a week the only idea that remained was, that one of these three casualties had befallen the lost children,-death, a lingering death by famine; death, cruel and horrible, by wolves or bears; or, yet more terrible, with tortures by the hands of the dreaded Indians, who occasionally held their councils and hunting-parties on the hills about the Rice Lake, which was

would have stood little chance of discovering the poor wanderers. After many days of fatigue of body and distress of mind, the sorrowing parents sadly relinquished the search as utterly hopeless, and mourned in bitterness of

ufferings of the mourners. Could they but have been certified of the manner of their deaths,

eir tale of

ing to the br

doubt would

endless dr

ement of Cold Springs, and see how it

t, clear light of the moon. No trace of their footsteps remained to guide them in retracing their path, so hard and dry was the stony ground that it left no impression on its surface. It was with some difficulty they found the creek, which was concealed from sight by a l

r they might become entangled in a trackless swamp. Having taken copious and refreshing draughts from the bright waters, and bathed their hands and faces, they ascended the grassy bank, and, again descending, found themselves in one of those long valleys, enclosed between lofty sloping banks, clothed with shrubs and oaks, w

curbed the free course of the wild forest stream, and made it subservie

r, just emerging from the blue veil of mist that hung upon its surface and concealed its wooded shores on either side. All feeling of dread, and doubt, and danger was lost for the time in one rapturous glow of admiration at the scene so unexpected and so beautiful as that which they now gazed upon from the elevation they had gained. From this ridge they looke

in some remarkable state of the atmosphere, when they had been occasionally discerned by the naked eye; while here they could distinctly see objects on the other side, the peculiar growth of the trees, and even flights of wild fowl winging their way among the rice and low bushes on its margin. The breadth of the lake from shore to shore could

d with their walk, they seated themselves beneath the shade of a beautiful feat

sh we could take, and the ducks and wild fowl we could shoot; and it would be no very hard matter to hollow out a log canoe

ite sure that the land is as good just here as it is at Cold Springs; but all those flats

a few hours' walking this morning to look upon so lovely a sheet of water as this.

much as I should have done had my father and mother been aware of my intention of accompanying you. Ah, my dear, dear parents!" she added, as the thought of the

-hearted but thoughtless boy bent over her to soothe and console her, his own tears fell

will break poor Louis's heart, already sore

ar from home as you think. As soon as you are rested, we will set out again, an

er eyes, proceeded to descend the sides of the steep valley that

vision to keep us from starving;" for her eye had caught the bright red strawberries among th

ouse, larger than the English or French partridge. We refer our young readers to the finely arranged specimens in the British Museum (open to the public), where they may discover "Louis's partridge."] from her nest, and the eggs were soon transferred to Louis's straw hat, while a stone flung by the steady hand of Hector stunned the par

t the first partridge that I have killed in this way. They are so stupid you

" he added, as he inspected the contents of his cousin's h

d the eggs? We have no means of ge

them raw; it is not for hungry wanderers

ter were they boiled, or roaste

I think, can be got w

?" asked

the readiest would be a flin

fli

when struck-we could not get a spark. However, I think it's very likely that one of t

collected without trouble: though Louis, with the recklessness of his nature, had coolly proposed to tear a strip from his cousin's apron as a substitute for tinder,-a proposal that somewhat raised the indignation of the tidy Catharine, whose ideas of economy and neatness were greatly outraged, especially as she had no sewing implements to assist in mending the rent. Louis thought nothing of that; it was a part of

f dry wood on the shore. Catharine then triumphantly produced her tin pot, and the eggs were boiled, greatly to the satisfaction of all parties, who were by this time suffic

among the branches of the trees, which it covered as with a mantle. A pure spring of cold, delicious water welled out from beneath the twisted roots of an old hoary-barked cedar, and found its way among the shingle on the beach to the lake, a humble but constant tributary to its waters. Some large blocks of water-worn stone formed convenient seats and a natural table, on which the little maiden arranged the forest fare; and never was a meal made with greater appetite or taken with more thankfulness than that which our wanderers ate

heerfulness privations that would have crushed the spirits of children more delicately nurtured. They had known every degree of hunger and nakedness: during the first few years of their lives they had often been compelled to subsist for days and weeks upon roots and herbs, wild fruits, and game which their fathers had learned to entrap, to decoy, and to shoot. Thus Louis and Hector had early been initiated into the mysteries of the chase. They could make dea

ities, they do not belong to the trade of a soldier,-he dare not see them." Thus were energy and perseverance early instilled into the minds of his children. They were now called upon to give practical proofs of the precepts that had been taught them in childhood. Hector trusted to his axe, and Louis to his couteau de chasse and pocket-knife,-the latter was a present from an old forest friend of his father's, who had visited them th

and at such a lovely season, where fruits were so abundant; and when they had finished their morning meal

harmed by the rifle of the hunter, where the osprey and white-headed eagle built their nests, unheeded and unharmed. Twice that day, misled by following the track of the deer, had they returned to the samespot,-a deep and lovely glen, which had once been a watercourse, but was now a green and shady valley. This they named the Valley of the Rock, from a remarkable block of red granite that occupied a central position in the narrow defile; and

n beat it fine upon a big stone, till it resembled the finest white paper. This proved excellent tinder, the aromatic oil contained in the bark of the birch being highly inflammable. Hector had prudently retained the flint that they had used in the morning, and a fire was now lighted in front of the rocky stone, and a forked stick, stuc

head, which rested on her knees, as he sat upon the grass beside her, and said, in a low and earnest tone, "'Consider the fowls of the air: they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?' Surely, my brother, God careth for us

he used to say to her, 'kneel down and ask God's help, nothing doubting but that he has the power as well as the will to serve you, if it be for your good; for he is

Our want of trust in God's power must displease him. And when we think of all the great and glorious things he has made,-that blue sky, those sparkling stars, the beautiful moon that is now shining down upon us, and the hills and

e not as God made us; for the wicked one cast ba

d helps those that help themselves," said Louis. "Let us consider a l

oined Catharine. "I doubt the fish will swi

t we have plenty of fine strawberries, and huckleberries will be ripe soon in profusion, and bilberries too, and you know how pleasant they are; as for raspberries, I see none; but by-and-by there will be May-apples (Podophyllum peltatum)-I see great quantities of them in the low grounds; grapes, high-bush cranberries, haws as large as cherrie

or slyly. "Nay, Katty, do not shudder, as if you were already in the clutches of a big bear. Neither bear nor wolf s

cousine," added Louis gallantly, "while

re to obtain them, my dears," said Catharine. "For fishing, you know, we must

do not despair even of that. As to the rod, it can be cut from any slender sapling on the shore. A n

bt, Monsieur Louis; but where are you to get the c

r of his cousin's apron

opriated for any such purpose. Yo

ugly, and never could see any good reason why you, and

we are milking, and scrubbing, and doing all

clean," replied the annoying boy; "so there can be little

tiently; "let the child alone, and

eard my father and old Jacob the lumberer say that, roasted in their shells in the ashes,

e procured," said Hector; "but, a

then, no doubt, there are crayfish in the gravel under the ston

berries; and if our line should break, we can easily cut those long locks from Catharine's head and twist them i

d fishing-nets of my apron," said Catharine, shaking back the bright tresses which

s, that become her so well," said Louis. "But we have no scissor

at my father told me, not long since, of Charles Stuart, the second king of that name in England. You know

t us hear the story of his granduncle. But I should like to know

ins, a large price was set on his head, to be given to any traitor who should slay him or bring him prisoner to Oliver Cromwell. He was obliged to dress himself in all sorts of queer clothes, and hide in all manner of strange, out-of-the-way places, and keep company with rude and humble men, the better to hide his real rank from the cruel enemies that sought his life. Once he hid along with a gallant g

"that was frightful. And

e was a cavalier and a gentleman, by the long curls that the king's men all wore in those da

hard, to lose h

se, the men told him; for he suffered them to cut it all close to his head, laying down his head on a ro

s forced by wicked men to lay down his head upon a block to have it cut from his shoulde

be poor children, wandering on these plains under God's own care

er all these things

of Culloden, where the prince lost all, and was driven from place to place, and had not where to lay his head, he went abroad in hopes of better times. But those times did not come for the poor prince; and our colonel, after a while, through the friendsh

"as you have told me s

give the affront

bows and arrows to kill deer or small game; I fancy we shall not be over-particular as t

the animals and birds, all are fed by the things that He

, weeks I believe it was. Like the Indians, they made themselves bows and arrows, using the sinews of the deer, or fresh thongs of leather, for bow-strings; and when they could not get game to eat, they boiled th

must have been a very

har

a famous pot of soup of itself," added

d Louis, laughing, "but for the good fortune tha

un about ready roasted in the forest, l

inner bark of the poplars and elms, which was not very substantial for hearty men, they encamped one night in a thick dark swamp,-not the sort of place they would have chosen, but they could not help themselves, having bee

ut from the thick bush. But Bruin was nearer to him than he thought; for presently a great black bear burst out from the butt-end of the great burning log, and made towards Jacob. Just then the wind blew the flame outward, and it caught the bear's thick coat, and he was all in a blaze in a moment. No doubt the heat of the fire had penetrated to the hollow of the log, where he had lain himself snugly up for the winter, and wakened him. Jacob seeing the huge bl

the fur was all sing

ular," said Louis; "a sto

nter quarters; but Catharine was somewhat shocked at the levity displayed by her cousin

ays so unfeeling,

l be no unwelcome sight. If we do not find our way back to Cold Springs before the winter sets in, we may be

trembling, "that would

time, we will not neglect the blessings we still possess. See, our partridge is ready; let us eat ou

s. The hungry wanderers needed no further invitation.

sted at noon. They had imagined themselves miles distant from it: they were grievously disappointed. They had encouraged each other with the confident hope that they were drawing near to the end of their bewildering journey: they were as far from their home as ever, without the slightest clue to guide them to the right path. Despair is not a feeling which takes deep r

ngs, could not sleep, left the little hut of boughs her companions had put up near the granite rock in the valley for her accommodation, and ascended the western bank, where the last jutting spur of its steep side formed a l

overgrown and carpeted with deer-grass and flowers of many hues, wild fruits and bushes, below, while majestic oaks and pines towered above. A sea of glittering foliage lay beneath Catharine's feet;

ear; it came from a hollow channel on one side of the promontory, which was thickly overgrown with the shrubby dogwood, wild roses, and bilberry bushes. Imagine the terror which seized the poor girl on perceiving the head of a black elk breaking through the covert of the bushes. With a scream and a bound, which the most deadly fear alone could have inspired, Catharine sprung from the supp

e noise of the stones she had dislodged in her fall, and her piteous cries, brought Louis and Hector to her side, and they bore her in their arms to the hut of boughs, and laid her down upon her bed of leaves and grass and young pine boughs. When Catharine was able to speak, she related to Louis and Hector the cause of her

ble to put her foot to the ground. This was an unlooked-for aggravation of their misfortunes; to pursue their wanderings was for the present impossible; rest was their only remedy, excepting the application of such cooling medicaments as circumstances would supply them with. Cold water constantly applied to the swollen joint, was the first thing that was suggested; but, simple as was the lotion,

nce; the ground was scarlet in places with this delicious fruit: they proved a blessed relief to

s not idle. After having collected a good supply of ripe strawberries, he climbed the hills in search of birds' eggs and small game. About noon he returned with the good news of having discovered a spring of fine water in an adjoining ravine, beneath a clump of bass-wood and black cherry trees; he had also been so fortunate as to kill a woodchuck, having met with many of their burrows in the gravelly sides of the hills. The woodchuck seems to be a link between the rabbit and badger; its colour is that of a leveret: it climbs like the

hey could not starve, as there were plenty of these creatures to be found. They had seen one or two abo

Hector, looking at the tin pot; "one is so apt to stumble among stones and tangled un

e here my trusty knife; what is there to hinder us from constru

news nor war-tap." The Indian name for the flexible roots of the tamarack, or swa

is pointed to the strips of leather-wood he had

ly employed, stripping sheets of the ever-useful birch-bark from the birch tree that had fallen at the foot of

ith some trouble managed to stitch them tightly together, by drawing strips of the moose or leather-wood through and through. The first attempt, of course, was but rude and ill-shaped, but it answered the purpose, and only leaked a little at the corners for want of a sort of flap, which he had forgotten to allow in cutting out the

ankle with, and to quench her thirst," he said, joyfully springing to his feet, ready for a start up the steep bank; but Hector quietly restrained his li

cried Louis. Catharine cast on

Louis-Hector, do not

stayed the steps of

I was the cause of all you have suffered; I will abide by you, in joy or

ckly dashed away the gathering tears from

I am so helpless; and then the dread of

occupied. The sides and bottom were clothed with magnificent oaks. It was a grand sight, he said, to stand on the jutting spurs of this great ravine, and look down upon the tops of the trees that lay below, tossing their rounded heads like the waves of a big sea. There were many lovely flowers-vetches of several kinds, blue, white, and pencilled, twining among the grass; a beautiful

tainous scenery that surrounded it. Though brought up in solitude and uneducated, there was nothing vulgar or rude in the minds or manners of these young people. Simple and untaught they were, but they were guileless, e

killed; and our poor wanderers now endured the agonizing pains of hunger. Continual exposure to the air by night and by day contributed not a little to increase the desire for food. It is true, there was the yet untried lake, "bright, boundless, and free," gleaming in silvery

in, that they could be taken by the hand with a crooked pin and coarse thread, or wooden spear; but that w

owever, if Kate can bear to be moved, we will go down to the shore and t

of tin, which he carefully selected from among a miscellaneous hoard of treasures. "Here," said he, holding it up to the view as he

Hector; "a bit of bone would be better. If

t the very instrument in question, a few inches of a broken, rusty file; very rusty, indeed, it was,

onths ago.-Ah, Louis, Louis, you little knew the use it was to be put to then," he added thoug

Hector gravely; "we are

but as quickly sank down upon the grass, and regarded her companions with a piteous look, saying, "I cannot walk one step; alas, alas! what is to become of m

, and fling himself on the flowery ground at her feet, while he drew a long breath, and gathered the fruit that grew among the long grass to refresh himself after his fatigue. And then, while resting on the "Elfin Knowe," as Catharine called the hill, he employed himself with manufacturing a rude sort of a fish-hook, with the aid of his knife, the bit of tin, and the rusty file. A bit of twine was next produced: boys have always a bit of string in their pockets; and Louis, as I have before hinted, was a provident hoarder of such small matters. The string was soon attached to the hook, and Hector was not long in cutting a sapling that answered well the purpose of a fishing-rod; and thus eq

nny spots on the shore, innumerable swarms of the flying grasshopper or field crickets were sporting, and one of these proved an attractive bait. The line was no sooner cast into the water than the hook was seized, and many were t

s soon as the more difficult part of kindling a fire on the beach had been accomplished with the help of the flint, knife, and dried rushes. The fish were then

h, indeed, spread a table for us here in the wilderness;" so miraculous did thi

unity for exercising their skill as anglers; so that, with the rude implements with which they were furnished, the result of their morning success seemed little short of divine interference in their behalf. Happy an

the many-coloured insects that hovered among the fragrant leaves which thatched her sylvan bower, her young heart was raised in humble and holy aspirations to the great Creator of all th

e loaded with their finny prey carefully strung upon a willow-wand, and found Catharine sleeping in her bower. Louis was loath to break her tranquil slumbers, but her careful brother reminded him of th

unately, Hector had taken the precaution to bend down the flexile branches of the dogwood and break the tops of the young trees that they had passed between on their route to th

loneliness of the path, the grotesque shadows of the trees that stretched in long array across the steep banks on either side, taking now this, now that wild and fanciful shape, awakened strange feelings of dread in the mind of these poor forlorn wanderers; like most persons bred up in solitude, their imaginations were strongly

ther was wont to entertain the children as they crouched round the huge log-fire of an evening. It is strange the charm these marvellous tales possess for the youthful mind: no matter how improbable or how often told, year after year they will be listened to with the same ardour, with an interest that appears to grow with repetition. And still, as they slowly wandered along, Hector would repeat to his breathless auditors those Highland legends that were as familiar to their

ready conceived a sort of home feeling for the valley and the mass of stone that had sheltered them for so many nights; and soon the dark m

ig Stone' and the w

ook there!" raising her ha

re?

o their hearts, as with speechless horror they gazed upon the dark outline of the terrible beast. There it stood, with its head raised, its neck stretched outward, and ears erect, as if to catch the echo that gave back those dismal sounds; another minute and he was gone to join his companions, and the crashing of branches and the rush of many feet o

its dewy roses and sweet blossoms glittering in the moonlight. But though around them all was peace and loveliness, it was long ere confidence was restored to the hearts of the panic-stricken and trembling childr

hich lasted till the broad sunlight, breaking through the leafy curtains of their forest-bed, and the sound of waving boughs and twittering birds, once more awakened them to life and light, recalling them from happy dreams of home and friends to an aching sense of loneliness and desolation. This day they did not wander far from the valley, but took the precaution, as evening drew on, to