athletic
and brave, and felt that he was answerable for his sister's safety,
whom he had led into this difficulty. "I _can_," said he to himself,
"and I will; and where there is a _will_, there is a _way_."

He immediately kindled a fire, as he had done in the morning, in order
to keep other wild beasts away, as well as to prepare some supper; then
taking his line he soon had some fine fish, (for he was on the river
bank he had last crossed,) which he broiled on the coals.

He could not shut his eyes to the terrible truth that they were in a
very dangerous place; for, although they piled on fuel to frighten the
beasts, yet they could hear the fierce growl of the wolf, the yell of
the panther, and their stealthy tread, and see their eyes flash and
glare in the surrounding gloom. The smell of the broiling fish seemed
to have collected them, and sharpening their voracious appetites, made
them desperate. To add to the difficulty of the children, the fuel was
getting scarce around the fire, and they dared not go away from it, for
it would be running into the very jaws of their terrible besiegers.

"We must get up into a tree, Anne," said Edward; "it is now our only
hope."

"Then, Edward, there is no hope for me; I cannot climb, but you can.
Save yourself while you can!"

"No, Anne, these monsters shall never have you while I live; never fear
that. I know you cannot climb of yourself, but I can get you there. We
must make a strong cord somehow. My fishing-line doubled twice will
help, and here is a tree of leather-wood;[2] this is fortunate, I can
now succeed."

[2] _Dirca palustris_, a very tough shrub, of the _Thymalaeae_
species, growing in the deep forests.

Collecting together all the fuel he could, he piled it on the fire,
then taking his knife, stripped off the leather-wood bark, and tying it
around Anne's waist, with the other end in his hand, he climbed up to
the lowest limb, and then cautiously drew her up after him. Seating her
securely on that limb, he climbed higher up, drawing her after him,
until he reached a secure place, where he seated her, taking the
precaution to fasten the cord that was around her to the tree. It was a
large hemlock tree, and the limbs being very elastic, he proceeded to
weave her a bed, that she might take some repose, for the poor child
was wearied with fright and fatigue. Disengaging part of the cord from
her, he bent together some limbs, and fastened them securely