A DESULTORY PILGRIMAGE 27 



yond that we had no plan. Indeed, this was 

 the best of it all, that we did not have to get 

 anywhere in particular at any particular time. 

 We did not decide on one day where we would 

 go the next; we did not even decide in the 

 morning where we would go in the afternoon. 

 If we found a brook where the trout bit, and 

 there was no inhospitable &quot;poster&quot; warning 

 us away, we said, &quot;Let s stay! who cares 

 whether we get on or not?&quot; And we tied Kit 

 to a tree, took out our rods and baskets, and 

 followed the brook. If noon found us still 

 fishing, we came back to the wagon, fed Kit, 

 got out our camping-outfit, and cooked our 

 fish for luncheon. It did not take long. I col 

 lected kindling and firewood while Jonathan 

 was laying a few big stones for a fireplace 

 shaped like a squared letter &quot;C,&quot; open 

 towards the wind and big enough to hold our 

 frying-pan. Then we started the fire, and 

 while it was settling into shape Jonathan 

 dressed the fish and cut a long stick to fit into 

 the hollow handle of the frying-pan, and I had 

 time to slice bits of pork and set out the rest 

 of the luncheon bread and butter, milk if 

 we happened to have passed a dairy farm, a 



