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there is not higher ground to which we
may go in case of need.”
“This will be dangerous work, Doc
tor” replied Tomkins. “You will lose
yourself in the darkness, I fear.”
« There will be the light of your fire ;
I cannot mistake that,” Dr. Gordon said.
“That might guide your return, but
not your going out,” argued Tomkins,
“for, whichever way you incline, (and it
is almost impossible to keep any given
course in the dark,) the fire behind you
will look just the same; and while you
think you are going due south, as you in
tend, you may sidle to the right, and be
falling over the bluff into the sea before
you expect it.”
“You are right,” Dr. Gordon replied;
“I propose, therefore, that while we are
gone you keep two fires, about four rods
apart. We can use them as sailors use
beacons on the coast.”
“That is well thought of,” Tomkins re
turned with a brightening look. “The
two* fires will give }~ou all needful guid
ance both going and returning.”
The two fires being made, and the
course carefully laid down which they
were to pursue, Dr. Gordon called his two
companions, and set out upon his gloomy
reconnoisance. For mutual support and
guidance, as well as to avoid separation,
they took each other by the hand, Dr.
Gordon being in the midst, and Wildcat
upon his right; and it was well that this
expedient was adopted before they left
the fire, for each soon became perfectly
invisible to the others, and the loudest
halloo could not be heard the distance of
ten paces. Another important aid was
also provided on the suggestion of Whee
ler, (who said he knew what it was to
grope in the dark,) without which the
explorers would probably have lost their
lives, it was a rod, or griping -stick, in the
hand of each, with which to feel the way.
Accoutred and supported thus, they
began their march, stumbling over a drift
ed hillock here, and running foul of a
stunted cedar there, until they had gone
some two hundred yards, and had satis
fied themselves that several of the spots
over which they had passed were a yard
or two higher than the place of their en
campment. They were conscious, how
or, that, notwithstanding their attempts
t 0 S uide themselves by the two fires, their
course had been very uncertain, for the
reason tliat the driving rain and mist had
* oiscuied the distinctness of the fires
la t at a short distance nothing was visi
them except their commingled
*'th alone^)Vx ) nom/n ,<? h fires ’ arran sed triangularly,
two - hn/Y U V ng Wtt >’> would have been bet-
Was not wood’ enoufhfor them r 'an? rd ° n k " CW that thero
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
light. In doubt, therefore, whether they
were in the midst of the tongue of land,
or upon one of its edges, they faithfully
piled the groping-sticks before them at
every step; and it was well indeed they
did so, for as they were about to turn, at
the end of their course, Wildcat suddenly
uttered his Indian grunt, “Ugh!” then
gripped fast hold of Dr. Gordon’s hand,
crying out “Hold fast!” and immediately
began to sink. The company had groped
their way to the crumbling edge of the
bluff, below which the dark waves from
sea were beating in their fury, and so un
dermining it that, at the moment Wild
cat’s stick warned him of his position, the
brink gave.way beneath his feet. It was
as much as Dr. Gordon and Jones could
do by their united strength to brace them
selves against this sudden pull, while Dr.
Gordon held on to the imperilled boy and
called to Jones to draw them both back.
And now anew danger presented itself.
The light from the encampment, which
had been growing dimmer and dimmer,
disappeared entirely, ere they had walked
two minutes on their homeward way —
the fires having been extinguished by the
rain. They were deeply impressed with
the difficulty and peril of their situation;
nor did they hesitate to warn each other
of the necessity of keeping an arrow-like
directness in their route, if they hoped
ever to reach the camp. On they went,
so slowly stepping, and so carefully feel
ing their way before they stepped, that
it seemed as if they had gone double the
distance; and Dr. Gordon and Jones, hav
ing no guide on which to rely except their
consciousness of moving at a certain an
gle to the wind, would long before have
come to a full stop, confident that they
had veered from their course, and were
in danger again, had it not been for
Wildcat’s cheery voice: “We right!
we right! keep on!” when, at last,
Jones gave Doctor Gordon’s hand a
grip, f such as \\ ildcat had given it be
fore, and with a cry of “Hold last!’
lurched forward, dragging the others
along with him. Tenaciously did poor
Jones cling to Dr. Gordon, and manfully
did the Doctor and Wildcat struggle to
save him and themselves from being pre
cipitated into the boiling waters below.
They went together, nor did they stop
until Jones found himself lodged against
an obstruction that first gave a hasty
movement, then a cry of
“Murder! Help!”
They had fortunately kept so straight
a course, under Wildcat’s Indian guidance,
as to have come to the camp itself, and
falling down the little declivity above it
to have lodged against Simpson, who had
stepped out for a moment to see what
pi ogress the storm had made. Jones’ cry
ol horror, as he thought himself plunging
into the sea, was arrested, and in place of
it came such a ringing laugh of merri
ment at discovering that Simpson had
taken him lor a hostile Indian trying to
murder him, that lie was joined in it by
Dr. Gordon and Wildcat, and soon after
by all others in the camp.
THE ELEPHANT.
ad the that
W! live on land, the elephant
18 t^ie l ar £ es fi an d heavi
est. Ilis body seems to
f®' be all in a lump, and bis
legs are very strong and thick.
That long thing you see hanging
Jlk down before him is called a trunk,
Hv but it is nothing more than a long
nose. He uses it to lift his food to his
mouth, and to suck up water ; for you see
that his neck is too short to reach down
wards, so if he had not this long trunk
he would starve to death. He can move
it about on every side, and can lap it
round a man, and lift him over his head.
Two long tusks stick out of the elephant’s
mouth, and his ears are large and broad.
He is a very tractable animal, and can be
taught many things.
I have read of an elephant which had
learned to take care of a little child when
its mother was away, and be used to fan
it to sleep, and drive the flies away with
his trunk. Elephants usually go in droves
of fifty or a hundred.
Advice to Boys.
“You are made to be kind, generous
and magnanimous,” says Horace Mann.
“If there’s a boy in school who has a
club-foot don’t let him know you ever saw
it. If there is a boy in school with rag
ged clothes, don’t talk of lags in his
presence. If there is a lame boy in school,
assign him some place in the play which
does not require much running. If there
is a dull one, help him to get his lessons.”
Satan is never likely to do more
mischief than when he puts on Samuel’s
coat.
203