rough. But the
wilderness, and even the difficulties of the way, interested Marco very
much. He thought that it was much pleasanter travelling through those
forest scenes, the wheels of the wagon sometimes jolting over roots,
stones, logs, and sometimes sinking in the mire, than riding in a
carriage, as he had often done with his mother, over the smooth and
broad avenues leading into New York.

After they had gone about ten miles, they were brought to a sudden stop
by a tree, which had been blown down, and had fallen directly across the
road.

"What is to be done now?" said Marco.

Nobody answered.

"What is to be done now, cousin Forester?" repeated Marco.

"I don't know," said Forester. "_I've_ nothing to do with it. You are
commander."

"Oh, very well," said Marco. "Then I'll decide what to do. We'll chop
the tree off with our hatchet."

Marco bustled about with an air of great importance, taking the hatchet
from the back of the wagon, and advancing towards the tree, as if he
expected to sunder it at a single blow. He looked towards Isaiah, and,
seeing a lurking smile upon his countenance, he immediately perceived
how absurd was the idea of chopping off such an enormous stem with a
hatchet.

He accordingly turned suddenly about, saying,

"No; we can't cut it off with the hatchet. It is too big; or, rather,
the hatchet is too little. We'll see if we can't find a way to get
around it."

So Marco asked Forester to look on one side of the road, while he and
Isaiah examined the other side. They found that, by cutting down one or
two small trees, they could get around very well. So Marco directed to
have these trees cut down, and then they led the horse around without
much difficulty, excepting a slight obstruction from the bushes.

Marco was quite pleased with the successful result of his management in
this first serious emergency. They rode on five miles farther, and then
Marco determined that it would be a good plan to look out for a place
for their dinner. He chose a place in a pleasant dell, overshadowed by
tall pines and hemlocks, and watered by a brook which meandered through
the middle of it.

Marco directed Isaiah to drive the horse out to one side of the road, at
a place where there was a pretty broad and level spot, which seemed to
Marco a convenient place for the horse to stand. Marco told Forester
that he and Isaiah might go and employ themselves in finding a good spot
for them to make a fire,