sarcastic comment. "Such level walking, and such nice bright sunshine,
with birds singing and--Oh!" And his speech came to an end as he went
down again, this time into a hollow of snow and dead leaves up to his
knees.

"Are you hurt?" asked Shep.

"Not enough to weep over," was the answer. "But, no joking, this is
fierce! I wish I was back to camp."

"So do I, Whopper. But wishing won't take us there--we've got to
walk."

"Isn't it getting dark!"

"Yes, and just listen to that wind!"

By this time, both of the young hunters were scared, although neither
mentioned it. Again they went on, but only for a dozen rods. Then both
halted and stared in front of them in amazement.

"What's this?"

"We aren't going toward the lake at all!"

Before them was a slight hollow and beyond a cliff of rocks all of
twenty to thirty feet high. On the top of the cliff grew a number of
large trees and several of these had, in times past, been blown over,
their tops resting in the hollow below while the roots still clung
fast near the top of the cliff.