forked branches of trees at night. Of course the
necessity of thus keeping to the dense woods, and making her way through
thorny thickets, rendered her journey very fatiguing; but Branwen was
unusually strong and healthy, though the grace of her slender frame gave
her a rather fragile appearance, and she did not find herself exhausted
even at the end of a long day's march; while her dressed-deerskin skirt
and leggings bid defiance to thorns. So did the rude but serviceable
shoes which her friend Beniah had constructed for her out of raw hide.

One thing that troubled the poor girl much was the fact that she had not
yet discovered the trail of Bladud. In reality, she had crossed it more
than once, but, not being possessed of the keen eye of the hunter, she
had not observed it, until she came to a muddy swamp, on the edge of
which there was an unmistakable track--a trail which a semi-blind man
could hardly have missed. Stopping for a few minutes to take particular
note of it, she afterwards went on with renewed hope and energy.

But this state of things did not last, for the trail became to her
indistinguishable the moment the swamp was passed, and at last, during a
very dark wet day, she lost herself as well as the trail. At evening of
the same day she climbed into a tree. Opening out her bundle of dried
meat, she began to eat and bemoan her fate. Tears were in her eyes, and
there was a slight tendency to sob in her voice, as she muttered to
herself--

"I--I wouldn't mind being lost so much, if I only knew what to do or
where to go. And this meat won't hold out another week at the rate I've
been eating. But I could hardly help it--I have been _so_ hungry.
Indeed, I'm hungry _now_, but I must not eat so much. Let me see. I
shall divide it into two parts. That will last me twelve days or so, by
which time I should be there--if I'm still going in the right direction.
And now, divide the half into six--there--each of these will do for--
Oh! but I forgot, that's only enough for breakfast. It will need two
portions for each day, as it will be impossible to do without supper. I
must just eat half of to-night's portion, and see how it feels."

With this complicated end in view, she dried her eyes and began supper,
and when she had finished it she seemed to "see" that it didn't "feel"
enough, for, after much earnest consideration, she quietly began to eat
the second portion, and consumed it.

She was putting aw