so; but it was very dark, and
it was difficult for Jonas to follow his track. The snow blew across it
with great violence, and was fast filling it up.

However, Jonas soon came to his first rafter, and this encouraged him.
It was a good deal covered with snow, but the end was out, and the
direction of it showed him which way to go, in order to find the next
one. After he had passed this guide, the path was no more to be
distinguished. He went on, however, as nearly as he could in the
direction indicated by the rafter; and, after going the proper distance,
he began to look out before him for the second. He began to be a little
anxious lest he had missed it, when he observed something dark in the
snow, at a little distance on the right. He went to it, and found that
it was the rafter.

Thus he was upon his track again; but his having so narrowly escaped
missing it, made him afraid that he should not be able to follow the
train very far. His fears proved well grounded. All his efforts to
discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.

"'Tis of no consequence," said Jonas; "we can't be far from the shore.
I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far
from the house."

But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had
supposed. The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the
perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same,
and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience
in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like
this, to find the way. Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought
would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach
it, no shore was to be seen. The fact was, that he had insensibly
deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with
the shore, instead of in the direction towards it. Jonas began to be
somewhat concerned, and Josey was in a state of great anxiety and fear.

He rose up in the sleigh, and attempted to look around; and his fear was
suddenly changed into terror, at seeing a large black animal, like a
bear, coming furiously up behind them, bounding over the snow. Josey
screamed aloud.

"What is the matter?" said the woman.

"Why, Franco! Franco!" said Jonas, "how could you get here?"

It was Franco, true enough. He came swiftly along,
leaping and staggering through the deep snow; and he seemed delighted to
have fou