Zitner said--the woods are full of Indians, and some of
them have camped there."

Not wishing to stumble over any of their bodies, he manoeuvred until
assured that whoever kindled the fire had left, when he kicked aside the
ashes.

The act caused a twist of flame to spring up and throw out a tiny glare,
which illumined several feet of surrounding space.

And then the astonished youth made the discovery that this was the very
spot where they had cooked their turkey hours before, and from which
they had fled in hot haste before the approach of the three Iroquois.

He and his friends had travelled in a circle, and come back to their
starting point.

CHAPTER TEN: NEAR THE END

Anyone who is used to the woods knows how apt he is to wander in a
circle unless he keeps his wits about him. There have been many causes
named for this curious fact, and the one that strikes me as the most
reasonable is that we are all either right or left handed. It is rare
that you meet a person who is ambidextrous,--that is, who uses both
hands equally well. When, therefore, he sets out to travel through the
woods without any guide, he unconsciously exerts his right or left
limb, as the case may be, more than the other, and this makes his course
circular.

There are three "signboards" by which a hunter can keep trace of the
points of the compass when in the woods, without noticing the sun, which
of itself is often a great help. Three fourths of the moss on trees
grows on the north side; the heaviest boughs on spruce trees are always
on the south side, and the topmost twig of every uninjured hemlock tree
tips to the east.

Now, while these signs never err, you can see that it is almost
impossible to turn them to account at night.

Ben Ripley had led his friends in an irregular circle, and brought them
back to within a brief distance of the starting point. This was the camp
fire from which they fled in such panic before the approach of the three
red men.

The discovery filled him with dismay, and he darted out in the darkness
for the rocks where the others were sleeping. His first intention was to
rouse them and plunge into the woods again, but a few minutes served to
make him cooler and more collected in mind.

The night was well spent, and a flight of that kind could not do much
for them. It might be all in vain. It would be trying to the last
degree. He decided not to disturb the sleepers.

By and by he persuaded himself that