Before wrapping my plaid round me for the night, I threw some fresh wood on the fire, which, crushing down upon the hot embers, sent up a scintillating shower of sparks that ran a mad race in and out of the greenery.  I saw that the horses were all right, I put my gun handy, and then I gave myself up to sleep.

I do not know how long I had slept, but I was conscious of being bothered, and could not rouse myself at once.  I dreamed that a bear was sniffing at me, but instead of being the least surprised or frightened, I said to myself in my dream, as if it was quite a common occurrence, “That’s the bear again, he always comes when I am asleep.”  The next moment, however, I was very effectually awakened by a tug that half lifted me off the ground.  I must mention that I had tied my horse’s halter to my waist-belt in case of any alarm in the night, for I sleep so soundly always that no ordinary noise or movement ever wakes me.  I sprang up of course, calling the Wallack at the same time.  Something had frightened the horses, and they had attempted to bolt.  We found them trembling from head to foot, but we could not discover the cause of their fright.  I fired off my revolver twice; the Wallack in the meantime had lighted a bundle of resinous fir branches as a torch.  He had carefully arranged it before he slept; it is a capital thing, as it gives a good light on an emergency.

After making an examination of the place all round, and finding nothing, we made up a bright fire, and again laid ourselves down to rest.  I had my saddle for a pillow, and it was not half bad.  Before giving myself over to sleep I listened and listened again, but I heard nothing except the hooting of the owls answering each other in the distance.  The night had grown very cold, and a heavy dew was falling, but notwithstanding these discomforts I had another good nap.

Next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we were off early.  Instead of going uphill again to recover our former route, we followed the stream, which gradually increased in size, and we came at last to a place where a dam had been thrown across the valley with the object of floating the wood cut in the forest.  This small lake was very pretty; the water was as clear as crystal.  Farther on we came upon another dam of larger dimensions; but though it had evidently been quite recently constructed, there was no one about, and no signs of wood-cutting.  Here we began to ascend again, and about mid-day got to a place called La Durs, a customhouse for cattle coming from Roumania; it is not absolutely on the frontier, but very near it.  I heard later that this district has a bad reputation for smugglers and robbers, the latter being on the increase, it is said; always the same story of unrepressed lawlessness on the frontier.