REDUCED TO SHORT COMMONS. 289 



liest interest in his welfare, appreciating him the 

 more for the fiendish character of his crimes. 



Now, wolves are a sort of four-footed banditti of 

 the forests and the prairies, and possibly, therefore, 

 in accordance with the diseased sentimentalism of 

 the time, I, according to my humour, lavish my 

 sympathy and admiration upon them. The wolves 

 were followed by bands of deer, and the more closely 

 they were pursued by the flames, the less did these 

 refugees seem to regard our presence or that of the 

 other animals, their enemies, the common danger 

 having for the moment extirpated their mutual fears 

 and jealousies. 



However, to return to my present position, the 

 next and succeeding days we found the fire had 

 done us much injury, for quadrupeds of all kinds had 

 disappeared, and we were reduced to short commons. 



Nothing is more trying to the temper than an 

 unsuccessful hunt. It is annoying to suffer from 

 fatigue and exposure without obtaining adequate 

 remuneration, but more so if the chase has been 

 prolonged, and the game so wild as to have kept 

 constantly at a safe distance from your missiles. 

 The pangs of hunger, added to our other sufferings, 

 I am sorry to say, have frequently proved adverse 

 to both our courtesy and our forbearance. 



The scenery to-day reminded me much of what is 

 to be found in Dumfries-shire, rugged stretches of 

 undulating hills, covered by stunted vegetation, 

 with streams tumbling down their sloping sides, 



u 



