“Since I have been in the country,” continued Mrs. H—–­, “I have known many cases of children, and even of grown persons, being lost in the woods, who were never heard of again.  It is a frightful calamity to happen to any one, and mothers cannot be too careful in guarding their children against rambling alone into the bush.  Persons, when once they lose sight of the beaten track, get frightened and bewildered and lose all presence of mind; and instead of remaining where they are, which is their only chance of being discovered, they plunge desperately on, running hither and thither, in the hope of getting out, while they only involve themselves more deeply among the mazes of the interminable forest.

“Two winters ago, the daughter of a settler in the remote township of Dummer, where my husband took up his grant of wild land, went with her father to the mill, which was four miles from their log shanty and the road lay entirely through the bush.  For a while the girl, who was about twelve years of age, kept up with her father, who walked briskly ahead with his bag of corn on his back, for, as their path lay through a tangled swamp, he was anxious to get home before night.  After a time Sarah grew tired, and lagged a long way behind.  The man felt not the least apprehensive when he lost sight of her, expecting that she would soon come up with him again.  Once or twice he stopped and shouted, and she answered, ’Coming, father;’ and he did not turn to look after her again.  He reached the mill—­saw the grist ground, resumed his burthen and took the road home, expecting to meet Sarah by the way.  He trod the path alone, but still thought that the girl, tired of the long walk, had turned back, and that he should find her safe at home.

“You may imagine, Mrs. M—–­, his consternation and that of the family, when they found that the girl was lost.

“It was now dark, and all search for her was given up for the night as hopeless.  By day-break the next morning, the whole settlement, which was then confined to a few lonely log tenements inhabited by Cornish miners, were roused from their sleep to assist in the search.

“The men turned out with guns and arms, and parties started in different directions.  Those who first discovered the girl were to fire their guns, which was to be the signal to guide the rest to the spot.  It was not long before they found the object of their search seated under a tree, about half a mile from the path she had lost on the preceding day.

“She had been tempted by the beauty of some wild berries to leave the road, and when once in the bush she grew bewildered and could not find her way back.  At first she ran to and fro in an agony of terror at finding herself in the woods all alone, and uttered loud and frantic cries, but her father had by this time reached the mill and was out of hearing.

“With a sagacity beyond her years and not very common to her class, instead of wandering further into the labyrinth which surrounded her, she sat down under a large tree, covered her face with her apron, said the Lord’s Prayer—­the only one she knew—­and hoped that God would send her father back to find her the moment he discovered that she was lost.