sloped gently upward into a low bluff. Still keeping to the trail, they
ascended this eminence, finding the forest not so dense, and the walking
easier than it had been hitherto. Gaining the top, they emerged upon an
open patch, which had been cleared of its erect, massive pines, and the
long-hidden earth laid bare to the sky by the lumberman's axe.

Here the eagerly desired sight--that sight of all others to the tired
camper; namely, the camp itself, with its cheery, blazing
camp-fire--burst upon their view, sheltered by a group of sapling pines,
which had grown up since their giant brothers went to make timber.

Now, a Maine camp, as every one knows, may consist of any temporary
shelter you choose to name, according to the tastes and opportunities
of its occupants, from a fair white canvas home to a log cabin or a
hastily erected canopy of spruce boughs. In the present instance it was
a "wangen," or hut of strong bark, such as is sometimes used by
lumbermen to rest and sleep in when they are driving their floats of
timber down one of the rivers of this region to a distant town, which is
a centre of the lumber trade.

Cyrus and Neal were making across the clearing in the direction of the
camp-fire with revived spirits, when the American suddenly grabbed his
friend by the arm, and drew him behind a clump of low bushes.

"Hold on a minute!" he whispered. "By all that's glorious, there's Uncle
Eb singing his favorite song! It's worth hearing. You never listened to
such music in England."

"I don't suppose I ever did," answered Neal, suppressed laughter making
him shake.