awaking, they discovered the ground white around them.
Before morning the white covering was three inches deep. The winter had
set in uncommonly early, and they with saddened hearts rode all day
through the falling snow. Night came on, and scraping the ground clear
of leaves and snow, they built themselves a temporary shelter, leaving
one side open, by which the camp-fire was built. They had nothing to
eat, having laid by no supply of roots or meat, and the ground was
covered with snow so that the roots could not be found. Leaving Sidney,
Edward, and Jane in the camp, the rest went out to get some game, and
in half an hour the trapper returned with a pair of wild turkeys. He
was followed soon by Cole who brought some pheasants and a grey
squirrel. As the shades of night began to gather around them, the
others came in with a fawn and a mountain sheep. There was no fear then
of their being supperless; and, after eating a hearty meal, they laid
down to sleep with the snow still falling around them. When they awoke
in the morning the sky was clear and the sun arose warm, and by noon
had softened the snow so much as to make it wet their clothing, as they
brushed it from the pendant branches in riding along. When they
encamped that night, Jane was shivering with cold, and too ill to eat;
but the rest lay by the fire, and slept as well as the disagreeable
situation in which they were placed would allow. Jane was quite ill the
next day, and they did not think it prudent to travel; but by night she
felt much better, and as they calculated they could strike the trail in
another day's journey, they determined to be in the saddle by daylight.

Riding, as fast as the rugged uneven country through which they were
travelling would permit, for three hours, they came to the trail
earlier in the day than they had anticipated, greatly to their relief.
Here now they were on a road that would lead them to their friends from
which they had so long been separated, during which time they had
encountered so many trials and so much suffering. The sight of it
dispelled all fatigue from them, and they were ready, nay, eager, to
turn their horses homeward. They were restrained from such mad
proceedings by the cool, undisturbed equanimity of Jones, who said:
"The journey home requires three months' hard travelling, and if we
undertake it in our present unprepared condition, we shall certainly
perish by cold and hunger. On the other hand the trail in