This day they did not wander far from the valley, but took the
precaution, as evening drew on, to light a large fire, the blaze of which
they thought would keep away any beast of prey. They had no want of food,
as the fish they had caught the day before proved an ample supply. The
huckle-berries were ripening too, and soon afforded them a never-failing
source of food; there were also an abundance of bilberries, the sweet rich
berries of which proved a great treat, besides being very nourishing.
CHAPTER III.
"Oh for a lodge in the vast wilderness,
The boundless contiguity of shade!"
A fortnight had now passed, and Catharine still suffered so much from pain
and fever, that they were unable to continue their wanderings; all that
Hector and his cousin could do, was to carry her to the bower by the lake,
where she reclined whilst they caught fish. The painful longing to regain
their lost home had lost nothing of its intensity; and often would the poor
sufferer start from her bed of leaves and boughs, to wring her hands and
weep, and call in piteous tones upon that dear father and mother, who would
have given worlds had they been at their command, to have heard but one
accent of her beloved voice, to have felt one loving pressure from that
fevered hand.
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