pella glided almost noiselessly over the dry leaves and brambles.

Raoul confessed that he had been deceived. He had never traveled this
belt of timber. The path was lost.

This was strange. A path had conducted them thus far, but on reaching
the stream had suddenly stopped. Soldiers went up and down the
water-course, and peeped through the trellis of vines, but to no
purpose. In all directions they were met by an impenetrable chapparal.

Chafing with disappointment, the young officer was about to retrace
his way, when an exclamation from Heiss recalled him. The backwoodsman
had found a clew to the labyrinth. An opening led into the thicket.
This had been concealed by a perfect curtain of closely woven vines,
covered with thick foliage and flowers. It appeared at first to be a
natural door to the avenue which led from this spot, but a slight
examination showed that these vines had been trained by human hands,
and that the path itself had been kept open by the same agency.
Branches were here and there lopped off and cast aside, and the ground
had the marks of human footsteps. The track was clear and beaten, and
Rolfe ordering his men to follow noiselessly, in Indian file, took the
lead. For at least two miles they traced the windings of this forest
road, through dark woods, occasionally opening out into green flowery
glades. The bright sky began to gleam through the trees. Farther on
and the breaks became larger and more frequent. An extensive clearing
was near at hand. They reached it, but to their astonishment, instead
of a cultivated farm, which they had been expecting to see, the
clearing had more the appearance of a vast flower-garden. The roofs
and turrets of a house were visible near its centre. The house itself
appeared of a strange oriental style, and was buried amidst groves of
the brightest foliage. Several huge old trees spread their branches
over the roof, and their leaves hung around the fantastic turrets.

What should have been fields were like a succession of huge
flower-beds--and large shrubs, covered with sheets of pink and white
blossoms that resembled wild roses. This shrubbery was high enough to
conceal the approach of Rolfe and his party as they followed the
path--apparently the only one which led to the house.

On nearing this, the officer halted his men in a little glade, and
taking with him Heiss and the boy Gerry, (who might return for the men
in case of a surprise,) proceeded to reconnoitre