d he could have gone. They found some little houses,
such as children build of twigs and sticks of wood, and these the little
fellow had probably built for amusement in his lonesome hours. Nothing,
it seems to me, was ever more strangely touching than this
incident,--his finding time for childish play, while wandering to his
death in these desolate woods,--and then pursuing his way again, till at
last he lay down to die on the dark mountain-side. Finally, on a hill
which E---- pointed out to me, they found a portion of the child's hair
adhering to the overthrown trunk of a tree; and this is all that was
ever found of him. But it was supposed that the child had subsisted,
perhaps for weeks, on the berries and other sustenance such as a
forest-child knew how to find in the woods. I forgot to say, above, that
a piece of birch or other bark was found, which he appeared to have
gnawed. It was thought that the cry of "Father! father!" which the
mother and little sister heard in the night-time, was really the little
fellow's voice, then within hearing of his home; but he wandered away
again, and at last sank down, and Death found him and carried him up to
God. His bones were never found; and it was thought that the foxes or
other wild animals had taken his little corpse, and scattered the bones,
and that, dragging the body along, one lock of his flaxen hair had
adhered to a tree.

I asked a physician whether it were possible that a child could live so
long in the woods; and he thought it was, and said that children often
show themselves more tenacious of life than grown people, and live
longer in a famine. This is to me a very affecting story; and it seems
to be felt as such by the people of the country. The little boy's
parents, and his brothers and sisters, who probably lived to maturity or
old age, are all forgotten; but he lives in tradition, and still causes
wet eyes to strangers, as he did to me.

To account for the singularity of his not having been found by such
numbers as took up the search, it is suggested that he was perhaps
frightened, and perhaps concealed himself when he heard the noise of
people making their way through the forest, people being apt to do so,
when they get mazed with wandering in the woods. But it is strange that
old hunters, with dogs, should have failed to find him. However, there
is the fact.

After breakfast (a broiled chicken and excellent coffee) I walked out by
myself. The brook would b