70 A SPORTSMAN'S EDEN. 



and a strong heathery growth, through which 

 dark burns crept slowly. Here, hot and weary, 

 I threw myself down, gave my mare, Dolly 

 Buckskin, her head, and watched the jolly little 

 beast revel in the sweet grasses. Poor dumb 

 pack-horses ! how we cursed them in the morning ! 

 but who would not wander if sent supperless to bed? 

 Like the horses, we were beginning to tire of the 

 rations of the road, beans and bacon and damper, 

 and to speculate on what good things we should 

 find at Alison's store on the Similkameen. 



As we jogged sleepily along about mid-day a 

 distant roaring far up the glens caught my ear 

 from time to time and puzzled me. Gradually 

 the sounds got clearer, and I recognised the 

 lowing of cattle. Shuttleworth, too, heard it, 

 and came galloping to the front. ' That's E.'s 

 cattle coming, squire ; we shall have to clear off 

 the track and keep quiet.' Nearer and nearer 

 came the beasts, while we sat still and silent in 

 a clump of trees well off the track. Everything 

 on this trail must give way to the cattle. By- 

 and-by a bearded man in his shirt-sleeves came 

 along on a good-looking nag, closely followed by 

 two or three beasts, while little groups of three 

 and four forced their way, lowing and playing 

 through the bush by the side of the trail. The 

 man kept speaking from time to time to the 



