"It was at this identical spot that the unfortunate Andre was captured
sharply through the dry branches. As he approached a little nearer,
he thought he saw something white hanging in the midst of the tree,
—he paused and ceased whistling ; but on looking more narrowly,
perceived that it was a place where the tree had been scathed by lightning, and the white wood laid bare. Suddenly he heard a groan,—
his teeth chattered and his knees smote against the saddle : it was but
the rubbing of one huge bough upon another, as they were swayed
about by the breeze. He passed the tree in safety; but new perils lay
before him. About two hundred yards from the tree a small brook crossed the road, and ran into a marshy and thickly wooded glen, known by the
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