The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-07-12
LOST in THE WOODS.
A Terrible Experience.
[From the Atlantic Monthly for July. ]

{3 A Terrible Experience.
From the Atlantic Monthly for July.l
I had been engaged for hours working
my way up brook on which had been
told was capital fishing place, and. find
ing an end to navigation, took to the
land. In making the circuit of maze
of alders, impenetrable even to bear, I
lost the water-course, and in looking for
it crossed low ridge and fell on another
which ran the other side, and in the OPP
posite direction from that which I had
left. The reversal of the current was the
instantaneous cause of complete upset
of all my ideas of material things There
was no reason in the thing, no reasoning
against it. The points Of the compass
had been as clear in my head as if
[ saw the needle, but the moment [
found this omiuous stream running the
wrong way everything was unsettled.
The sun was shining out Of the clear
heavens, but it stared out of the north.
One minute before I could have taken
J Decline back to my boat, but the
minute after had lost faith in every
landmark. was not novice in woods
matters I could follow trail readily,
and find my way in the dark, and knew
the points of the compass as well as any
trapper in the country, but now north
had become south, and the labor of my
reason would not persuade my senses
that the sun was not sinking north by
east. [ dared not travel by the sun, so
firmly was my fallaey rooted. I knew
the thing at once, and comprehended the
danger. knew that in ten minutes I
should be as mad as any man ever was
with delirium tremens, that [ should be
beyond self-control or human help. Not
once in three months would a human
foot pass within reach of my voice from
where was, but that wolves were nearer
[ knew by their abundant footprints in
the wet sand where I had passed.
knew as we'll that if I lost my wits in
that moment nothing lay between me
all my Life l can recall no moment of ter
ror like that which I felt gathering on
me IN that silent forest. I sat down on
a rotting log, and, covering my
face with my hands, waited until [ felt
calm and self-possessed again. I have
no idea how long it was, but when I
arose the sun had got back into the
southwest, and [ made up my mind as I
walked back to my boat never to trust
myself in strange wood again without
blazing my path as [ went along. [
might point the moral of my experience
by more than one case not SO fortunate.
The most impressive one remember is
that of an Englishman who settled in
one of the towns bordering on the Adj
rondack country, and who, having been
fishing one day in the autumn with
neighbor, proposed to go back the next
day and try it alone. He never returned,
and after days absence an expedition
set out to hunt him up. A light
snow had fallen in the night, and his
footprints were found in one case cross
ing into the thickets, and deviating in
the most aimless and frenzied manner,
with long strides like those Of a
man running, and then these even
were lost. The second day after his
departure from home man an
swering to his description came to the
door of a house in the adjoining town,
and asked the way to his village. His
face was haggard, and he looked wild,
the woman said who answered hedoor,
and, before she could reply, he started
away, and raced frantically across the
road into the woods again, and disap-
peared. No trace Of him was ever after
found. A friend who surveyed the
county lines of Franklin county, New
York, told me another more singular
case in his experience. His party were
running line in the thick woods, and
had taken with them young man from
the city who fancied camping-out and
had joined the gang as volunteer. In
I returning from their work to camp they
missed the blazed line and proceeded to
find their way by the compass, whenit was
found that the compass itself had been
lost None Of the gang were disturbed
with worse fears than having to sleep out
that night, save the novice, who was 50
fearfully panic-stricken that he became
mad in five minutes, and they were
obliged to bind him and finally carry
him to the camp, the way to which they
shortly rediscovered. 90 10y
" Turkish Surgery. ftg.