SALMONID^. 51 



discovers his mistake. A quarter of a mile in a jungle or 

 strange forest seems a great distance. Eivers and streams 

 are certain highways to deliverance provided a person has 

 previously some idea of the general "lay of the land." 

 There is an advantage in traveling alone, though gentlemen 

 socially inclined will prefer a companion. As two Indians 

 or voyageurs are required with a canoe, this makes a large 

 enough party ; and in most other circumstances, one's guide 

 is sufficent company. A single person can usually get a 

 " lift" by the way, a seat at a backwoodsman's table, or a cor- 

 ner to sleep in, when two or more would be refused. There 

 is always room for " one more," but not for a crowd, 



X. 



It becomes the second nature of a thorough sportsman to 

 note carefully all that transpires around him. His pursuits 

 and associations make him a close student of natural history. 

 By personal contact and observation he becomes thoroughly 

 conversant with the habits and peculiarities of the creatures 

 he pursues. He familiarizes himself with their haunts. He 

 gathers knowledge from every leaf, finds instructive sermons 

 in stones, secrets in the babbling brooks, and practical les- 

 sons of wisdom in everything. To him the Book of Nature 

 is an open revelation. From the crude materials which the 

 wilderness supphes, he learns to draw comfort for the body 

 and aliment for the mind. Torrid heat and Arctic cold 

 have no formidable terrors for him Avhose manhood has been 

 toughened by the hardships of out-of-door sports. He snaps 

 his fingers at vicissitudes which would appal those hearth-rug 

 knights whose inherent vitality has been quickened by sim- 

 ple toast and tea. His enthusiastic love of adventure leads 

 him far away from the beaten paths of civihzation to the ut- 

 most confines of the habitable globe. Oftentimes he finds 

 himself the pioneer explorer of regions previously considered 

 ierras incognitas. It would not be difBcult to prove that a 



