HUNGER THE BEST SAUCE. 115 



friend until he proves himself to be otherwise, and 

 then it is your own look-out that he does not get the 

 upper hand. Wild life makes you wonderfully wide 

 awake, and although an apparent bonhomie may lay 

 on the surface, a constant guarded caution should 

 never be neglected. My new pals, however, were really 

 good fellows, a little eccentric, for each was in the 

 habit of picking his teeth with his bowie knife ; but 

 they were honest, plucky, and enduring, ready to face 

 whatever emergency occurred, and pretty certain to 

 get out of it if a bold hand and quick eye could be 

 of avail. Breakfast ! what a misnomer for a few 

 mouthfuls of half-charred, half-cooked, pieces of tough 

 venison ! what a contrast with one of our home hunt- 

 ing-feeds that bear the same sobriquet ; still I doubt 

 much whether pate's de fois gras, game pies, and spiced 

 round of beef, were ever relished with more gusto than 

 was that meal. 



After the viands had disappeared, over the consoling, 

 soothing pipe, our course for the day was discussed, 

 and, as the rain had ceased and clouds lifted, giving 

 every prospect of fine weather, it was decided that we 

 should remain another night where we were, and in 

 the meantime each start in different directions to seek 

 for a supply of game, to prevent our going supperless 

 to rest, and resuming our journey on the morrow with 

 empty stomachs. 



I had a horse ; from his wonderful formation and 

 intense ugliness I dubbed him "Broomstick;'' he 

 was truly a doleful beast to look at ; no amount of 

 food seemed to do him any good ; he always looked 

 in the last stage of consumption, although his capacity 

 of stowage of forage was immense ; nor did he ever 



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