Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-20

In his Pauilac he would have covered it
easily in as many minutes.
But now all was different Nothing re-
maincd save slow. laborious plodding, foot
by foot, through the choking desolation OF
the burned world
They camped near a small stream for the
night and cast their lines but took nothing.
Stern gave this matter no great weight.
lie thought, perhaps, II might be mere
accident and still felt confident of finding
fish elsewhere.
Even the discovery of three or four dead
perch, floating belly up, round and round In
an eddy, gave him no clue to the totil de-
struction of all life
He did not understand even yet that the
terrific con1agration, far more stupendous
than any ever known in the old days, had.
even heated the streams and killed there
the very fish themselves.
Yet already n vague. half-SenSed un-
easness had begun to creep over him-not
yet definite presentiment of disaster, but
rather a subcbnscious feeling that the ODDS
against him were too great.
And once thought OF Napoleon crossed
his mind as he sat there silently. camped
with his men; and he remembered Moscow,
with strange, new apprehension.
Next morning, having reflled their
canteens. they set out again, still in the
same direction. Stern often consulted his
what he took to be the proper course
The distance between Settlement Cliffs
and tho machine was wholly problematical;
yet once he should come within striking
distance of the scene of his disaster, he
felt positive of being able to recognize 1t.
Not far to the south of the spot he re-
memberod, a very steep and noisy stream
flowed toward the east, and of to north
west of It rose n peculiarly formed, double
peaked mountain, easily recognizable.
The sandbarren itself, where he had been
Obliged to abandon the machine, lay In
kind of broad valley, fanked on one hand
by cliffs, while the other sloped gradually
upward to the foothills of the double
mountain III question.
"Once get anywhere within twenty
miles of it I'm all right" thought Allan
anxiously sweeping the horizon with his
binoculars as the party paused on high
ridge to rest. The great problem Is to
locate that mountain. After that the rest
will be easy"
At noon they camped again, ate spar
ingly, and rested an hour. Here Allan
brought his second map up to date. This
map n large sheet Of parchment, served as
a record of distances and directions
Travelled.
Starting at Settlement Cliffs he had
painstakingly entered on it every stage or
the journey, every ridge and valley, water
course, camp and landmark. Once the goal
reached this record would prove invaluable
in retracing their way.
"If the rest Of the trip were only indl-
Gated as well as what's past!" he muttered
working out his position. "One of these
days, when other things are attended TO-
we must have. a geodetic survey, complete
maps and plans. and accurate information
about the whole topography Of this altered
continent Some time-along with few
million other necessary things"'
The third day brought them nowhere
cam ,ba brule 81 ched on and on before
them, though now, far to right, Allan oc-
caslonally could glimpse wooded mountain
spur through the binoculars, as though the
limits of the vast confiagration were in
sight at least in one direction.
But to left and ahead nothing still
showed but devastated land.
The character of the country, however
had begun to change. The valleys had
grown deeper and the ridges higher, Allan
felt that they were now coming into a more
mountainous region,
We'll, that's encouraging. anyhow" he