196 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



never complains of the idiocy of his coadjutors, of 

 their incapability, unsuitability, and other shortcom- 

 ings. A born leader sees in all these things the 

 proof of his power, his power to meet and beat them. 



At last appeared a real travelled Innuit, who was 

 introduced to us as a veritable Stanley, with a dash 

 of Sir Richard Burton thrown in. This dolorous- 

 looking individual had actually hunted over the sheep 

 ground we were aiming for only some two years be- 

 fore, when he convoyed an American magnate, for 

 whom the native had not one good word to say. It 

 is always a matter for interested amusement to me 

 to notice the manner in which all shikaris, black and 

 white, talk of the last sportsman whom they served. 

 The last is very first, and referred to, and his doings 

 quoted and dragged into the conversation at all sorts 

 of odd moments. 



According to native hunters but two varieties of 

 sportsmen exist. The one a demi-god, a little lower 

 than the angels, one whom it would be impossible 

 to imagine doing aught wrong or mistaken, who never 

 misses a shot, invariably clean kills his quarry, never 

 swears, never loses his temper, and treats his shikari 

 like a friend and a brother. A being almost too good 

 for this world and most wearisome to meet, did he 

 exist, for such self-evident worth and complacent 

 excellence would pall inevitably. Then there's the 

 other sportsman. Look on this picture, and on that. 

 An imp of evil, a being brought into this vale of tears 

 for no other reason than to make an honest shikari's 

 life a burden, a bungler, a no sort of a shot, a cum- 



