“Yes, but I can walk fast. I know many of these passes and I can take short cuts. You will not wish to return to the river?”
“No, but come on, I am in haste.”
They hurried on, descending a little and passed through some woods where they could not see the river.
When they came in sight of it again the man said:
“Go on and rejoin your comrades. I will go another way. You can get back from here?”
“Yes, without much trouble. Where are you going?”
“Away, where you will never see me again!” and the man suddenly darted down a forest path.
“I hope he will do better,” said Jack to himself, “but I don’t know. He says he has tried to do so before but he never succeeded. I hope he will do so this time but I do not want to see him again. I cannot get over my past recollections.”
He took another path and at length came to a pass through the hills which would cut off a considerable distance provided he did not lose his way by taking a wrong turn and he decided to hazard it.
Overhead there were great round peaks about which the clouds always seemed to hover, about him were giant trees which seemed to be hundreds of years old and as he walked on the shadows stretched deep and mysterious before him so that he might well pause for fear of going astray or of meeting unwelcome companions.