With Gun ^ Rod in Canada 



condition to take care of an unusual amount of fried 

 trout, fried potatoes and onions, hot biscuit, canned 

 peaches, and strong tea or coffee. Toward the end of 

 your excursion you can eat anything or everything, 

 and as much as you can hold without fear of discomfort. 



You will sleep with your clothes on. The very first 

 night you will probably not sleep very much. You will 

 be too warm, then too cold. Your bed, which felt like 

 an Ostermoor when you lay down, quickly develops all 

 sorts of knots, snags, and bumps; a spider crawls across 

 your face; a toad hops in the grass outside of the tent, 

 and you imagine it is a bear; you are sure there is a flock 

 of earwigglers getting ready to beat a tattoo upon your 

 ear-drums; you twist and turn and find lumps every- 

 where; you wake the guide and tell him about something 

 rattling the dishes; you marvel at his indifference, and 

 also at the nonchalant way in which he lies half in and 

 half out of the tent, with his woollen socks smoking in 

 the heat of the camp-fire coals; you get up and replenish 

 the fire, gazing furtively the while into the lowering 

 forest surrounding you. Making your bed once more, 

 it dawns upon you that you would be more comfortable 

 if you removed your moccasins. Then you take a bunch 

 of keys out of one pocket and a wicked-looking jack-knife 

 out of another, a pocket-book out of another, immedi- 

 ately followed by a watch, a compass, a matchbox, a 

 tobacco pouch, a cigarette-case and a pipe. You dis- 

 cover that your hat is the only safe place in which to 

 deposit these appurtenances of a fully equipped sports- 

 man. You roll up your slicker or storm-coat for a 

 pillow, and pulling the blankets up to your chin, stretch 

 hopefully out once more. Much to your surprise the 

 lumps in your bed have all disappeared. You are now 

 due for a little sleep, and get it, only to be disturbed by 

 the guide calling, " Breakfast !" 



'38 



