3. As the clouds gathered, and the darkness increased, the father and the
neighbors, with highly excited fears, traversed the woods in all
directions, and raised loud shouts to attract the attention of the child.
But their search was in vain. They could find no trace of the wanderer;
and, as they stood under the boughs of the lofty trees, and listened, that
if possible they might hear his feeble voice, no sound was borne to their
ears but the melancholy moaning of the wind as it swept through the thick
branches of the forest.
4. The gathering clouds threatened an approaching storm, and the deep
darkness of the night had already enveloped them. It is difficult to
conceive what were the feelings of that father. And who could imagine how
deep the distress which filled the bosom of that mother, as she heard the
wind, and beheld the darkness in which her child was wandering!
5. The search was continued in vain till nine o'clock in the evening.
Then, one of the party was sent back to the village, to collect the
inhabitants for a more extensive search. The bell rung the alarm, and the
cry of fire resounded through the streets.
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