346 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST, 



spective of memory recollections of former hunts which 

 had long laid dormant. 



I spent a fortnight at one time in the forests with a 

 party of genuine hunters, and jovial, hospitable fellows, 

 and never, to me, did two weeks pass more rapidly and 

 pleasantly. Each man furnished his own bedclothes and 

 a proportionate share of the food, but a large tent sufficed 

 to hold all ; and though our bed was lowly, and composed 

 solely of straw, no king on his couch of state ever slept 

 more soundly or contentedly than we did. We had three 

 wagons with us, and one of these contained a generous 

 supply of fodder for the horses, so that we should not be 

 compelled to employ any person to herd them during the 

 day. 



After marching fifteen or twenty miles into the forest, 

 we reached a low chain of hills which had an altitude of 

 four or five hundred feet, and on the summit of one of 

 these we pitched our camp, under the shade of an old and 

 wide-spreading fir, and close to an abundance of water ; for 

 a beautiful tarn and a crystalline river were only a few 

 paces from us. When the tent was erected, each man de- 

 voted himself to some special object; thus, while one cut 

 up wood, another brought it in ; some laid in a supply of 

 water, and others attended to preparing the dinner ; while 

 still another party went after grouse in the woods, or to 

 catch trout in the lake, and these soon returned with more 

 than enough to last for twenty-four hours. I was among 

 the anglers, and was fortunate enough to catch two dozen 

 splendid fish, that averaged about four pounds each, in less 

 than three hours, with no better bait than a grasshopper. 



Our dinner-party that evening was a merry one, although 

 our repast was anything but epicurean in character, as it 

 consisted of cold beef, fried bacon, grouse, fish, potatoes, 

 and bread and butter, and these were eaten off tin plates. 

 Our dessert was confined to rosy apples and a cup of cof- 

 fee, and after that came the rude loving-cup, composed of 

 punch that was hot, strong, and sweet. When this was 

 finished, we devoted ourselves to puffing pipes or cigars 



