To his infinite joy the morning beamed brightly--the sun shone out.
With a light heart and renewed confidence he again shaped his course
eastward, following the direction in which his house lay; and there is
no doubt, had the day remained clear, he would in a few hours have
extricated himself from the dilemma into which he had fallen. His
disappointment was great when he again beheld the sky overcast, and the
snow falling thickly around him. He pushed on, however, bravely, till
at length a thick cedar-swamp lay before him. For some time he
travelled along its edge, in the hope of finding a narrow spot to
cross, but in this he was disappointed, so he determined to attempt the
passage. He fully believed, once on the other side, he should know the
face of the country, from his having so often hunted game, or searched
for his cattle in that direction.

For fully an hour he pressed on through a complete thicket of cedar;
but it was all random work, for the evergreens were so loaded with
snow, that it was quite impossible to go one hundred yards in a
straight course. At last he saw the tops of hard-wood trees before him,
which again revived his sinking spirits, for he thought he had crossed
the swamp. Alas, poor fellow! he was mistaken. He had come out on the
very side by which he had entered it, but of this he was not aware at
the time. He, however, wondered that he did not recognize any part of
the ground he was travelling over.

At length, to his great joy, he came upon the fresh track of a man,
which he had no doubt belonged to some person, who was then out from
the settlement, still hunting;* for he knew that Manvers was the most
celebrated township for deer in the Newcastle District. As he observed
that the footprints were going in a contrary direction to what he was,
this circumstance gave him increased confidence. Two or three times,