The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1859-04-06
From the Scientific American.
Habits Of Bewildered Persons,

MEssRs. EDrToRs-In late number
OF your paper you state, in answer TO some
correspondent, thai you have no conf
dence III the report that when msu is
lost he will travel in a circle In this
You are cert<inly mistaken; i, ia fac,
"ell'known TO all frontiersmen that, when
persons ara tewidered, they frequently
travel IN circle, sometimes keeping the
same track until they have made half a
dozen equal rounds /; at other times max
my tie circle larger or smaller each time.
II Is not SV any means always the case,
when person is lost but it il SO frequent
that 1t Ia within the experience Of ey,ry
one who has been much in tho woods
In calm and cloudy weather, and in a
country OF much saineness OF appearance,
the best wood dsmen get so bewideted as
10 take the circles Persons not accus
toned to the woods will sometimes do so
when the SUI is shining and steady
breeze blowing. On the level or gulf
Prs'T'es OF this country on calm, fosgy
morning, no man can travel without a
road. 1t is an incident Of everyday oc.
currence in the Spring and Fall seasons,
that men are thus becalmed on the prairie
rs eftectuaily AS are ships at sea; nor will
4 compass mend the matter, for it cannot
be carried steadily enough to keep its
meridian, aud the course il points cannot
be kept for fifty yards; il man a,,emp,,
II, he will make a circle and come back
to the place he started from. The circle
wal be large or small generally in proper.
ton to the density Of the fog-sone,irnes
only hundred yards in diameter: At
other times mile, but seldom more
The circles thus made are perfect. This
kIpc of wandering seems to arise from an
attempt 10 GO straight, course, or when
the usual guides Of sun, wind, or the gen
eral con,our Of the country are disregard.
ed. II rarely befslls children, who do not
attempt to go course, but only run from
one visible point to another equally per-
cepuble.
Many apparently trivia! traits in the
disposition OF animals, which are OF great
use to woodsmen, are omitted in books of
natural history; chiefly from ignorance.
no doubt One Of these is the disposition
OF horse, when frightened, to ru6 against
the wind, II any is blowing. Thousands
OF horses which would be otherwise ire
vocably lost annually, on this frontier, are
recovered by observing this simple rule in
pursuit. All animals have similar mex
Phcsble traits in their disposition; aud
men are no exception TO the rule. White
men, when they are scared, will retreat
~ tue same direction in which they came.
The Indians know this, and lsy their
plans accordingly ; and many gallant
company has been cut TO pieces, simply
from ignorance of this tact. But those
who understand these matters, when they
ind II necessary 70 mako = hasty retreat,
always do so in st.sigh, Iine, aud in a
direction different from the one in which
they came.
We frequently SEQ notices in north ern
papers Of children being Lost. Sach lhilas
rarely occur on this frontier thoguh chill.
dfen VI ten wander, and there are but few
ne'ghbors to help search for them.--
Perhaps the cause OF humanity might
DO sutserved, the publishing few rules