It seemed wonderful to watch him bend his head and stand as silent and motionless as one of the dark trees.
"He's not there yet," Dale whispered, and he stepped forward very slowly.

Helen and Bo began to come up against thin dead branches that were invisible and then cracked.

Then Dale knelt down, seemed to melt into the ground.
"You'll have to crawl," he whispered.
How strange and thrilling that was for Helen, and hard work! The ground bore twigs and dead branches, which had to be carefully crawled over; and lying flat, as was necessary, it took prodigious effort to drag her body inch by inch.

Like a huge snake, Dale wormed his way along.
Gradually the wood lightened.

They were nearing the edge of the park.
Helen now saw a strip of open with a high, black wall of spruce beyond.
The afterglow flashed or changed, like a dimming northern light, and then failed.