6z CANADIAN NIGHTS 



The next two or three days were spent in 

 making preparations, buying stores, &c. I thought 

 the days interminable. I was crazy to get out on 

 the plains and see one of these great wapiti, and 

 it appeared to me that everything could have been 

 ready in half an hour's time. However, it was 

 no use hurrying ; one has to be philosophically 

 patient and let things take their natural course. 

 There is a regular routine to be observed in all 

 these cases. At some places it takes you two days 

 to fit out, at others three ; sometimes you may 

 strike a man accustomed to do things on short 

 notice, and able to get everything ready in two 

 or three hours. Then there are endless delays 

 on the day of starting. Something is sure to be 

 forgotten ; girths or buckles break ; perhaps one 

 of the drivers has had a birthday, and is suffering 

 a little from the effects of it, and cannot be induced 

 to pull himself together and get started at all. In 

 fact, you must make up your mind to be quite 

 content if the first day's march consists only of a 

 few miles, just enough to get beyond the radius 

 of the last whisky shop, so as to be certain of 

 making a clear, fair-and-square move on the 

 succeeding day. 



We got off pretty well, sent the wagons, 



