But a second glance convinced him of his error, for it was nothing more than a yawn, or chasm, that had probably been opened in the mountains by some great convulsion of nature.
Making his way carefully to the edge, Fred saw that it had a varying depth of fifty to two hundred feet, and a width from a dozen yards to three times as much, its length seemingly too great to be "gone round" by an ordinary traveler.

And yet, finding himself confronted by such a chasm, it was perhaps natural that the lad should become more fully pursuaded than ever of the absolute necessity of placing himself upon the opposite side.

The more he thought upon it the more convinced did he become, until his desire of passing over became a wild sort of eagerness that would not let him rest.
"I don't believe the pass is more than a hundred yards from the other side, and the two must run nearly parallel, so I am bound to get over in some way." In the hope that some narrow portion might be found, he made his way with great care along the margin, until fully an hour had been spent in this manner, with a result that could not be called very satisfactory.
"If I could jump about three times as far as I can, I could go across right yonder--helloa! why did n't I notice that before ?" And the words were yet in his mouth, when he started on a run along the margin of the ravine, at the imminent risk of falling in and breaking his neck.

He had espied not only a narrower portion of the ravine, but what seemed to be a fallen tree extending from one side to the other.
If such were really the case, what more could he need?
He had thought over this matter of the pass being upon the other side, until no doubt at all remained in his mind, and now the discovery that the chasm was bridged caused the strongest rebound from discouragement to hope.
Upon reaching the bridge, he found that it answered his purpose admirably.

The width was less than ten yards, although the depth was enough to make him shudder, when he peered down into it.
He flung a stone, and, as it went spinning downward, it seemed to him that many seconds elapsed before it struck the bottom with a dull thud.
But the tree seemed strong enough to answer every purpose, and capable of bearing a weight much greater than his.
The trunk at the largest part was fully a foot in diameter, and the top extended far enough over the opposite edge to prevent any weakness from the thinning out of the branches.
But what astonished Fred more than anything else, was the discovery that the tree had been felled not, by nature, but by man.