ight. Its shape is that of a cone, or a
sugar loaf. It is then covered with turf and soil. Fire is
communicated to the wood, so that it shall smoulder, or burn slowly,
without blazing. Just enough air is admitted to the pit to keep the
fire alive. If the air were freely admitted the pile would burn to
ashes. Sometimes the outer covering of dirt and sods falls in, as the
wood shrinks permitting the air to rush in and fan the fire to a
blaze. When this occurs, the aperture must be closed, or the wood
would be consumed; and it is necessary to watch it day and night. The
cabin had been built for the comfort of the men who did this duty.

Harry's heart was filled with gratitude when he discovered the rude
hut. If it had been a palace, it could not have been a more welcome
retreat. It is true the stormy wind had broken down the door, and the
place was no better than a squirrel hole; yet it suggested a thousand
brilliant ideas of comfort, and luxury even, to our worn-out and
hunted fugitive.

He entered the cabin. The floor was covered with straw, which
completed his ideal of a luxurious abode. Raising up the door, which
had fallen to the ground, he placed it before the aperture--thus
excluding the cold air from his chamber.

"I'm a lucky fellow," exclaimed Harry, as he threw himself on the
straw. "This place will be a palace beside Jacob Wire's house. And I
can stay here a month, if I like."

Nestling closely under the side of the hut, he pulled the straw over
him, and soon began to feel perfectly at home. Only one consideration
troubled him. The commissary department of the establishment could not
be relied on. There were no pork and potatoes in the house, no
well-filled grain chest, no groceries, not even a rill of pure water
at hand. This was an unpromising state of things; and he began to see
that there would be no fun in living in the woods, where the butcher
and the baker would not be likely to visit him.

Various means of supplying the deficiency suggested themselves. There
were rabbits, partridges, and quails in the woods; he might set a
snare, and catch some of them. But he had no fire to cook them; and
Dr. Kane had not then demonstrated the healthy and appetizing
qualities of raw meat. The orchards in the neighborhood were
accessible; but prudence seemed to raise an impassable barrier between
him and them.

While he was thus considering these matters, he dropped asleep, and
forgot all about his stomach. He w