That's where Watkins's house stood: now which way is it ?" "Which-a-way's what, Mas' Sam ?" "The opening with the groves in it." "I 'clar' I dunno, Mas' Sam." It had not entered Joe's head to mark the direction, and so he had to climb the tree again.

In going up and coming down, however, he wound around the tree two or three times and was no wiser when he returned to the ground than before he began his ascent.
"Look, Joe," said Sam.

"Do you see that bright star through the trees ?" "De brightest one, Mas' Sam ?" "Yes." "Yes, I sees it." "Well, climb the tree, and when you get to the top, turn your face towards that star.

Then see which way the opening is, and remember whether it is straight ahead of you, behind you, or to the right or left." Joe went up the tree again and this time managed to bring down the information that when he looked at the star the opening was on his left.
With the knowledge of locality and direction thus gained, Sam was not long in finding his way to firm ground again, and as soon as he did so he selected a hiding-place for the day, as the morning was now at hand.
The next night they had fewer difficulties, the woods through which they had to pass being freer from undergrowth than those they had already traversed, and when the third morning broke they were within a mile or two of Fort Glass.

Sam thought at first of pushing on at once to the fort, but, seeing "Indian sign" in the shape of some smouldering fires near a spring, he abandoned the undertaking until night should come again, and hid his little company in the woods.