254 ARRIVING AT QUEBEC. 



our horses, and as soon as order was re-established, we 

 continued our march. At ten o'clock on the evening of 

 the same day, we re-entered Quebec. 



I will not dwell, to the fatigue of the reader, on the 

 delight we experienced in once more obtaining the advan- 

 tages of warm water, soap, razors, hair-brushes, and a 

 feather-bed in a well- wanned chamber. One must have 

 been deprived of these indispensable articles of civiliza- 

 tion, to feel the charm which one experiences on recover- 

 ing them after a few days' separation. 



In spite of my passion for the chase, friendly reader, I 

 declare that I have no desire again to try the experiment 

 of a sledge-journey in the snow. If ever I experience a 

 fancy to renew my acquaintance with the elks, I shall 

 take a cab to the Zoological Gardens, where I can seat 

 myself at my ease, near the " ravage " of these animals, 

 and observe their habits without any fear that one of 

 them will make a rush at me. 



To conclude : I cannot say that I regret having once 

 in my life paid a visit to the solitudes of Canada. I pro- 

 test only against the pretended pleasure of adventuring 

 through hyperborean cold in pursuit of elks ; and I defy 

 Nimrod himself to prove to me that it is " a royal sport," 

 at least, unless he can succeed in demonstrating at the 

 same time that the ignoble Redskins of Loretto are the 

 worthy descendants of the Indian heroes who figure in 

 Cooper's brilliant pages, of the Uncas and the Chingach- 

 Kooks. 



