does not shine."

After having spent more than an hour at this place without
discovering anything of further interest, Peterkin took up the old
cat, which had lain very contentedly asleep on the stool whereon he
had placed it, and we prepared to take our departure. In leaving
the hut, Jack stumbled heavily against the door-post, which was so
much decayed as to break across, and the whole fabric of the hut
seemed ready to tumble about our ears. This put into our heads
that we might as well pull it down, and so form a mound over the
skeleton. Jack, therefore, with his axe, cut down the other door-
post, which, when it was done, brought the whole hut in ruins to
the ground, and thus formed a grave to the bones of the poor
recluse and his dog. Then we left the spot, having brought away
the iron pot, the pistol, and the old axe, as they might be of much
use to us hereafter.

During the rest of this day we pursued our journey, and examined
the other end of the large valley, which we found to be so much
alike to the parts already described, that I shall not recount the
particulars of what we saw in this place. I may, however, remark,
that we did not quite recover our former cheerful spirits until we
arrived at our bower, which we did late in the evening, and found
everything just in the same condition as we had left it three days
before.



CHAPTER XII.