With this intention he descended to
the valley, and then walked along, following the descent of the
ground, and keeping himself as much as possible among the thickest
growths of the trees.
The ground descended very gradually, and the narrow valley wound along
among rolling hills that were covered with trees and brush. As he
confined himself to the thicker parts of this, his progress was
necessarily slow; but at the end of that turn he saw before him
unmistakable signs of the neighborhood of some open place. Before him
he saw the sky in such a way that it showed the absence of forest
trees. He now moved on more cautiously, and, quitting the valley, he
crept up the hill-slope among the brush as carefully as possible,
until he was at a sufficient height, and then, turning toward the
open, he crept forward from cover to cover. At length he stopped. A
slight eminence was before him, beyond which all was open, yet
concealed from his view. Descending the slope a little, he once more
advanced, and finally emerged at the edge of the forest.
He found himself upon a gentle declivity. Immediately in front of him
lay a lake, circular in shape, and about a mile in diameter, embosomed
among wooded hills. At first he saw no signs of any habitation; but as
his eyes wandered round he saw upon his right, about a quarter of a
mile away, an old stone house, and beyond this smoke curling up from
among the forest trees on the borders of the lake.
The scene startled him.
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