OUR traveler, after leaving Mr. Steele’s, unfortunately took a road leading from the inhabited portion of country. Night was approaching, and the last sounds of human habitations had long since ceased to greet his ear; he still walked on, however, hoping that some dwelling would come into view.
The sun had set behind the great mountain of storm clouds in the west, and twilight was drawing a curtain of darkness around. The clouds rose higher and higher; the heavens began to be overspread with long masses of floating vapor, and the distant gleam of lightning could now be distinctly[28] seen. He now encountered a steep hill in his march; his limbs could scarcely bear his body along, but he knew that he must go on. There were but few trees on the hill, and their absence enabled him to see his way more clearly in ascending, but the valley beyond seemed shrouded in midnight darkness.
These wild regions were infested with wolves and other ravenous beasts, and our hero being unarmed, his life became hourly more endangered. After struggling along under accumulating difficulties, in utter loneliness and discouragement he sat down on a log to rest. It was to him an hour of trial; and his patience almost failed him. But the remembrance of God’s promise, “Behold, I am with thee and will keep thee,” cheered him. A clap of thunder warned him of the approach of the storm, and aroused his enfeebled energies to their task. But where should he go? The darkness, if possible, had increased; not a ray of light remained,[29] excepting when the electric fluid for a moment lit up the heavens with its lurid blaze only to leave it still darker. An effort to secure shelter must be made at once.
As he was anxiously hurrying on among the weeds and fallen timber, a huge rattlesnake that had coiled itself under some rubbish suddenly sounded its “death-rattle.” Finding that danger was threatening in the heavens above, and lurking on the earth beneath, he was on the point of sitting down and awaiting his fate, when, suddenly, a flash of lightning revealed an opening between the tall trees, and the hope that there might be some human habitation not far distant caused him to again renew his efforts.
Moving cautiously forward, he succeeded in crossing a stream of water; a short distance beyond was an old, broken-down fence. The glimpse which the lightning gave him of this, the work of man, sent a thrill of joy to his desponding heart.
[30]He anxiously watched for the electric lamp to reveal the place of habitation. Now and then a large drop of rain fell, and presently a fearful blaze of lightning illuminated the whole heavens, followed by a clap of thunder that seemed to shake the earth to its very foundation! The rain was now descending upon the distant hill. Aroused to a full sense of his danger, he commended his soul to God, expecting to be crushed beneath the falling timber, which could plainly be heard above the roar of the elements.
As we all shrink from imminent danger, he instinctively looked around for some protection. Near by, in a clump of trees, he espied, when it again lightened, something like a roof. What a thrill of joy entered his heart! Groping his way forward, he found a little hut with door wide open as if to welcome him; he needed no invitation, but rushed in, for the storm was bursting upon him.
All within was dark and silent save a rustling[31] in one corner and the flitting of a bat overhead. The chilly dampness which pervaded the room, and the musty smell that came up from the floor, made the first impression far from agreeable. The roof leaked and the windows were gone. In one corner he found a dry spot; here he nestled down, awaiting the fury of the descending storm.
The elements were now raging with irresistible power. The very earth seemed to tremble under the contending forces that were hurling destruction all around. Part of the shattered roof came down, the trees were torn up by the roots and the cabin was almost lifted from its foundation.
Happily the winds hurled the rain against the corner in which he had taken refuge, and the logs, chinking and daubing that remained, arrested the water, so that the place which he occupied was comparatively dry, whilst all the rest of the inside was deluged with the dashing rain.
[32]Musing for a time upon his lonely condition and his prospects for the future, he fell asleep, and did not awake until it was quite day. He arose, and kneeling down in that deserted cabin, he brought all his sorrows before God, and asked in great humility for His guidance and protection.
The storm had passed, and the sun rose in a serene and cloudless sky. After his communion with God, he came out of his retreat to view his surroundings.
The ground was literally covered with pools of standing water, fallen timber and fragments of vegetation. The cabin in which he had slept had been long since deserted, and the place looked mournfully desolate, wild and forsaken.
As the lowlands were now full of standing water, and the creek so high that to return by the way he came was impossible, he took up his satchel and staff, and proceeded westward in search of a settlement.
[33]After wandering on for several hours he came to a large swamp covered with reeds, tall grass and spaces of open water; in some places the covering was a beautiful carpet of green moss, upon which one could stand, but the least movement would shake the frail moss bed for rods around; under this treacherous cover there appeared to be a great depth of quicksand and water. A path made by wild animals along the margin of the swamp somewhat relieved the irksomeness of passing through it.
As he was traveling on he discovered the footprints of a bear which had been turning over some old logs in search of worms and insects. An encounter with Bruin was something for which he was wholly unprepared. Sitting down to consider which course he had better pursue, his attention was attracted by a noise among the bushes behind him. He had already passed the monster and might have escaped unnoticed had he not sat down!
[34]The bear, seeing him, came out of the bushes toward him. As our hero did not show any signs of retreat the bear stopped and sat upon his haunches, ready for a fight. The worn-out missionary did not feel like accepting the challenge, but was rather inclined to a purely defensive policy. The bear remained stationary for some time, waiting, no doubt, for a demonstration of the purposes and ability of the stranger. They eyed each other until that indescribable superiority implanted in the eye of man made the huge beast quail, and he sullenly retreated into the thicket.
The way being now clear our traveler again started on. The marsh was at length passed, but another difficulty now presented itself in the shape of an abrupt bluff; too much fatigued to ascend it, he changed his course by its base, still, however, designing to go westward. A beautiful spring that gushed out from among the rocks at the side of the hill invited him to rest. Whilst laving his sore, feverish feet in[35] its cool waters, he noticed the movements of a little squirrel as it jumped from tree to tree, gathering nuts for the coming winter. Here he learned a lesson which would enable him to appease his hunger.
Having eaten his frugal meal, and being somewhat refreshed, his step was lighter. Another stream impeded his progress, so he again changed his course, following its windings among the valleys and hills. Throughout his whole course he had as yet seen no indications of the presence of man.
The sun was again setting, and as the shades of night increased and no dwelling appeared he began to look about for some place of shelter. As he was hastily ascending a ridge, a pack of wolves commenced their discordant yelps and howlings right in his front. Turning around he wended his way up a ravine, walking as fast as possible. Another pack of wolves then set up a howl to his left; this seemed to enrage the others, so that their[36] hideous noise could not but chill the heart of the defenseless wanderer.
To climb a tree and rest among its branches for the night, was his first thought. A spreading beech, with branches almost reaching the ground, offered its accommodations. After choosing his position in the tree, and fixing himself, as he supposed, for the night, he very soon found his limbs cramped and his hold unsafe. Becoming satisfied that to remain where he was would be risking his life, he immediately descended. The darkness, when off the tree, seemed much more dense; and being now within reach of the wolves, made him almost regret having left it. “Oh, that I never had been called to this sacrifice,” involuntarily burst from him. A voice whispered: “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” These words were not without effect, for they led him to say, “if the Lord of Lords[37] suffered thus before me, why should I murmer at my lot?” and he again “thanked God and took courage.”
At length he succeeded in finding a hollow tree which answered his purpose. Feeling that he was in God’s hands, it was not long until “tired nature’s sweet restorer” came to his relief.
It is well that God conceals from us the rod with which He intends to chasten us; were it not so, our prospective trials would seem greater than we could bear. The trials encountered by His servant in this peculiar case, were but the beginning of those in store for him.
Having changed his course so often, he lost all idea of the points of the compass. The consequence was that he spent two days and a night longer wandering in this wilderness. At the expiration of that time he found himself at the very old hut in which he had spent the first night; which proved to him that he had been traveling in a circle. Under the circumstances, he was very glad to again avail himself of the protection thus afforded.