The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 
much so, that beds had to be made up in the 
after-hold for many of those who otherwise 
would have been left behind. I thought I was 
doing something wonderfully smart by offering 
one of the engineers a sovereign for the use of 
his cabin. He was good enough to consent to 
this, but said, “‘ I should keep the light burning 
throughout the night if I were you!’ On being 
asked why, he told me that there were such things 
as bugs (my pet aversion), and that so long as a 
light was about they would not put in an appear- 
ance. I had already paid my sovereign, which 
I now decided to lose without taking advantage 
of his hospitality, and therefore slept, or rather 
tried to do so, on the floor of the smoking- 
room. 
On my arrival in Leith I had to pass through 
Edinburgh on my way south, and remained 
in that city for the night. I was very much — 
amused by the remarks made by various passen- 
gers and others who had never seen a cast of 
hooded falcons on their box cadge before. 
Some suggested they were peacocks, and others 
thought they must be parrots. I got weary at 
length of saying what the birds were, for 
they did not seem ever to have heard of 
falconry. 
It may be that my travels and big-game days 
are finished, that there is nothing left to me but 
memories and the trophies on the wall, but 
296 
