inally ceased and all became still.

When Elwood looked up again he saw that it was growing light, and day
was indeed breaking.

CHAPTER XLIII.

WANDERINGS.

The light increased each moment, and Elwood Brandon soon saw the
position in which he was placed. He had walked along the path and fallen
abruptly off, alighting on a projection that ran along the edge of the
ravine, and was of sufficient width to only comfortably hold him. Had he
gone a yard forward he would have fallen over to another ledge, although
this was not more than a dozen feet below. Indeed, his rifle had done
this, and now lay on this broad band of earth and gravel, which here
sloped so gradually down to the bottom of the ravine that it could be
descended without difficulty.

His first proceeding, after thanking Heaven for the protection of the
night, was to let himself down to where his rifle lay. An examination
proved it uninjured, and with its possession came a feeling of
confidence and safety such as he had not felt for a moment during the
hours of darkness.

"Now, if that wild creature, whatever it was, would like to introduce
itself, I am prepared."

And he looked around as if he expected its appearance; but it had left
some time before. At first he was at a loss to understand what it had
chosen as its parade ground, but, concluded it must have been the very
path from which he had fallen, and where, had he remained, he could not
have avoided falling into its power.

Elwood could not see the possibility of extricating himself by the same
way in which he had entered. In some places it was necessary to climb a
score or two feet up the perpendicular side of the ravine; and as there
was no means at hand for doing this, he thought it best to press on down
among the hills in the hope of discovering a new way of egress, or an
easier access to the paths behind him.

He wandered rather aimlessly forward, his path being over loose,
rattling stones, constantly descending, until he reached the hard-packed
earth, and judged himself to be in about the lowermost part of the
valley. On every hand rose the ridges, rocks and peaks of the hills,
until, as he looked up at the cloudy sky so far above him, he seemed but
the merest pigmy.

As he turned his head he caught sight of something a few rods ahead that
puzzled him. For some time he could not make out its meaning, but
finally he saw that it was a smouldering camp-fire, while around it were
s