"At length we reached within hail of the fire, but, although the sounds of distress continued, we could perceive nothing beyond a log and a little brushwood around it on fire. Not a human form was visible; yet the strange sounds came forth as fresh as formerly, and, what was more unaccountable, they appeared to issue immediately from the fire. What was it?--the Evil One, or an Indian decoy, surely, for, as the fire was not larger than a bushel measure, we believed that no creature with life could be in it. "While we stood gazing, first at the fire, then at each other, Jake's face, naturally dark, but now darker than usual, became suddenly lightened as with a new idea, and away he bounded to the other end of the log farthest from the fire. "`Claw away the fire! claw away the fire!' shouted he, springing towards the end of the log, which the brushwood had set on fire and burnt away about a foot. I did not know what he wanted the fire `clawed away' from, but I fell to work, and very naturally clawed it away from the log. `Wait'll I come back with an axe,' said Jake, bounding off towards the waggons, and leaving me alone beside the log, which was hollow and contained something alive--evidently a man--perhaps poor Pete; but the whole circumstance was wrapt in such a great degree of mystery that I could not attempt to unravel it, especially as the sounds of distress had ceased. Presently, Jake returned with a sharp axe, and, mounting on the log without saying a word to me, he brought the implement down with such force as to send the great chips whizzing in every direction. "Suddenly there appeared something black; Jake had cut through. He stopped, raked the chips away with his bands, and peered into the hollow; a simple glance seemed, to satisfy his curiosity, and, leaping upon the log some six or eight feet farther back from the fire, he fell to chopping again with as much eagerness as before. In a little while the hollow appeared at that point, and then he commenced to split out the block between the two holes. A few strokes started a crack. A few more, very cautiously dealt, and out tumbled the block, as if a box-lid had been suddenly opened, leaving exposed to our wondering gaze the body of a man. "`Pete Tonsley, as I live!' said Jake. `Pete, what in thunder are you doing here?' "Pete rolled over two or three times, put his hand on his head to call our attention to the fact that his hair was pretty well singed off, and then said-- "`Nothin'.' "`Wal, I think ye wasn't a doin' nothin' only a-hollerin',' continued Jake; `and if we hadn't just a-heard ye, ye wouldn't soon a' bin doin' that. But tell us how ye come to be in that thar log?'