he, "we must go the other way if we want to find the
boys;--the track is going the other way. But never mind," she added, "I
don't want to find the boys; I want to go home; so we will go this way."

Rollo went on, secretly pleased to find the track, for he supposed that
by retracing it, as he was doing, it would lead him back home. He had,
however, a great curiosity to know who could have made it; and in fact
the mystery was soon unraveled.

For, after following the track a short distance, they saw before them a
large, dark spot upon the snow, and, on drawing near to it, to see what
it was, they found it was the place of their own encampment; and the
track which they were following was their own track, leading them back
to the mouldering remains of their own fire. They had gone round in a
great circle, and come back upon their own course. Rollo looked
exceedingly blank and confused at this unexpected termination of the
clew, which he had hoped was to have led him out of his difficulty. What
he was to do now, he did not know.

The fact, however, that they were lost, was no longer to be concealed;
and Lucy proposed that they should go into the woods, where the tops of
the trees would act as a sort of umbrella, to keep the snow from falling
upon them, and wait there until it stopped snowing; and then the air
would be clear, and they could find their way out.

"O," said Rollo, "I can easily make a hut of hemlock branches, and we
can go into that for shelter."

"But, Rollo," said Nathan, "how do you know but that it will snow all
day? We can't stay in the woods all day."

"No," said Rollo; "when it snows in great flakes, it is not going to
snow long. Jonas told me so."

So the children went into the woods, and Rollo began to make his hut;
but he was soon interrupted, and the attention of all the children was
called off by a little bird, which they saw there, hopping about, and
appearing benumbed with cold. After some effort, Rollo succeeded in
catching her in his cap.

"We'll carry her home," said Nathan; "we'll carry her home, and show her
to mother."

"Yes," said Rollo, "I'll carry her in my cap."

"No," said Lucy, "you must have your cap on your head, or you will take
cold. Let me carry her in my hands."

"No," said Rollo, "you will have to lead Nathan. I'll tell you what we
will do. We will put her into the basket, for a cage."

Lucy, on the whole, liked this plan, and they accordingly put the bird
in the