woodland, great plantations with
here and there variegated spots that Ralph supposed to be villages.

It was his first view of the level country beyond the Blue Ridge, and
he surveyed it with intense interest.

"They say it stretches that way clear to the seacoast," he said to
himself as he began to descend the mountain. "I don't see how they can
see any distance with no big ridges to look off from."

This idea--otherwise laughable--was perfectly natural to a lad who had
never seen anything but wild and rugged mountains in his life.

He quickened his pace, wishing to get down into the region of farms and
houses before darkness should come. A rising cloud in the southeast
also occasioned him some concern.

"Looks mighty like there might be rain in that cloud," he thought.
"I've got matches, but I'd hate to have to spend a wet night out in
these woods."

The gun went down and the black south-easterly haze came up, with
semi-tropical celerity. Ralph was still in the lonely region of forest
and crag, when a whirl of wind struck him in the face and a few drops
spattered on the leaves of the chestnuts around.

The brief southern twilight was blotted out almost at once by the
overspreading clouds, and young Granger became conscious that he had
somehow missed the trail.

"That is odd," he muttered. "It was just here a minute ago."

Something like a yellow gleam caught his eye, and he plunged along in
its course in a reckless manner, for he was nervous with anxiety.

Being in a strange region, with a storm on the point of breaking, was
not pleasant even to older nerves, when added to the natural terrors of
a night in the woods, without any other company than one's brooding
thoughts.

"Hello! What's this?" he exclaimed as he almost ran against an
obstruction that looked not unlike a steep house roof.

The odor of tar and resin pervaded the air. Ralph groped his way
around it, feeling here and there with his hands.

"It's a tar kiln, sure as preaching!" ejaculated he, at length. "There
ought to be some kind of a shack about, looks like."

He was still searching, when the wind, which had been increasing,
brought with it a sudden downpour of rain. Ralph was about to rush for
a tree to shelter himself, when a flash of lightning lighted up the
kiln and surrounding objects with a pale, brief glare.

"Ha--there she is!" exclaimed Ralph, discovering the object of his
search. "I almost knew the man as put up th