which along its mighty bole was covered with sturdy
young shoots for about thirty feet from the roots. There it forked into
two branches, each of which was far bigger than the trunk of an ordinary
tree; but while one was fairly green, the other was perfectly dead, and
such verdure as it displayed was that of moss and abundant patches of
polypody, which flourished upon the decaying wood.

Opposite the spot where Scarlett leaped upon the tree-trunk--that is to
say, on the other side--the thicket was too dense to invite descent, and
the lad began to walk along toward the fork, pressing the young branches
aside as he went, followed by Fred, who had leapt up and joined him.

"Here, I'm getting so hot," cried the latter. "What's the good of
slaving along here! Let's go back."

"I don't like going back in anything," replied Scarlett, as he walked on
till he reached the fork, and continued his way along the living branch
of the old tree, with Fred still following, till they stood in the midst
of a maze of jagged and gnarled branches rising high above their heads,
and shutting them in.

These dead boughs were from the fellow limb to that on which they stood,
the two huge trunks being about six feet apart.

"There, now we must go back," said Fred.

"No. It looks more open there," cried Scarlett. "If we could jump on
to the other trunk, we could go on beyond."

"Well, anybody could jump that," said Fred.

"Except Fred Forrester," replied Scarlett, mockingly.

"What! not jump that? I'll soon show you."

"No, no; you can't do it, Fred, and you may hurt yourself."

"Well, that will not hurt you. Here goes."

"Mind that branch there."

"Oh yes, I'll mind the branches; and you have to do it when I've done.
Way he!"

Fred stooped down, with his feet close together and his arms pressed to
his sides, bent forward and jumped cleverly quite over the intervening
space, and came down upon the great dead moss-covered trunk.

There was a crash, and it seemed to Scarlett for the moment that his
companion's heels had slipped, and that he had gone down on the other
side among the bushy growth that sprung up; but a second glance showed
him that the apparently solid trunk was merely a shell, through which
Fred had passed completely out of sight.

"Hoi! Fred! Hurt yourself!" cried Scarlett, laughing heartily.

There was no reply.

"Fred! Hoi! Where are you?"

Still no reply. And now, beginning to feel alarmed, Scarl