THE LONG TRAIL 



lion?" or "What a lovely camp that was 

 under the big tree in the Lado when we 

 were hunting the giant eland?" 



We get three sorts and periods of en- 

 joyment out of a hunting trip. The first 

 is when the plans are being discussed and 

 the outfit assembled; this is the pleasure 

 of anticipation. The second is the enjoy- 

 ment of the actual trip itself; and the 

 third is the pleasure of retrospection when 

 we sit round a blazing wood fire and talk 

 over the incidents and adventures of the 

 trip. There is no general rule to know 

 which of the three gives the keenest joy. 

 I can think of a different expedition in 

 which each sort stands out in pre-emi- 

 nence. Even if the trip has been excep- 

 tionally hard and the luck unusually bad, 

 the pleasures of anticipation and prepara- 

 tion cannot be taken away, and frequently 

 the retrospect is the more satisfactory be- 

 41 



