Page:The heart of Monadnock (IA heartofmonadnock00timl).pdf/130

 friend made him to his own surprise suddenly break his own fixed principle of never giving advice—a principle wrung out of many past experiences—and proffer a suggestion for the future, apropos of being lost, in the remote chance that the newcomer might be tempted on a future mountain exploration.

"You might find this suggestion useful," he therefore offered; "as soon as you find you are lost, remember that then the path cannot be far away, for you could not go a dozen feet without knowing you have strayed from it. Just here is the trouble, for most people at this point begin to hunt around frantically and almost immediately they lose all sense of direction. The woods to the casual observer look much alike on all sides and in a moment you are not sure from what direction you came. So here is the point; the moment you realize you are lost, tie your handkerchief to a high bough to give you a center, or a landmark; remember your path is still close at hand some-