ly it ceased. Immediately after, there was a prolonged
crash, which echoed back from the mountains.

"There goes a tree," said the boy.

Jonas was sorry to have to leave Oliver so long, but he wished to
persevere until he should find the man, as he knew that the farmer was
very desirous of having the business done that day. So he told the boy
that he believed he would go and see if he could find Mr. Woodman; and
then he set off in the direction which the boy had indicated.

This road was so sheltered by the woods, that the snow was not much
drifted; and, besides, it had been kept open by the teams, which had
been employed in hauling out pine logs. When Jonas got in to the end of
the road, he heard the strokes of the axe, at a short distance on the
right.

He looked that way, and found that the man was standing at the foot of a
tall tree, of very large size; and he was cutting through the trunk of
it, about two feet from the top of the snow. He saw that it was nearly
off, and so he thought he would wait a moment, where he was, and see it
fall. He observed that Mr. Woodman occasionally looked up the stem of
the tree, between the strokes of his axe, as if to see whether it was
beginning to fall.

After a few strokes more, he stepped back from the foot of the tree to
one side. Jonas wondered why he left his work before the tree fell. He
looked up to the top of it, and he perceived that it was moving. It was
bending over very slowly indeed. It moved, however, faster and faster,
and presently began to come tearing down between the branches of the
other trees, and, at length, descended with a mighty crash to the
ground. Jonas thought that it was a very fine spectacle indeed. He
wished that Oliver had been there to see it.

Jonas then went to Mr. Woodman, and transacted his business
successfully, according to the farmer's directions. Then he turned
around, and began to walk back, as fast as he could go.

"I am afraid," said he to himself, "that Oliver is almost out of
patience waiting for me."

[Illustration]

CHAPTER X.

A SURPRISE

Jonas walked on until he came out of the woods, at the house where he
had seen the boy cut wood. As he approached the place, he saw that the
boy was there still; but there was a man with him. The man had a
goad-stick in his hand.

"He is driving a team somewhere," said Jonas to himself. "I wonder where
his oxen are."

A moment afterwards, Jonas came in sight of the oxen, whi