The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



park of artillery were at practice in the vicinity. 

 This is disturbing to one who is unaccustomed 

 to the sound, but one soon gets used to it. Being 

 in a facetious mood one morning, I carved on a 

 piece of board with my knife the famous verse : 



" O Solitude ! where are the charms 



That sages have seen in thy face ? 

 Better dwell in the midst of alarms 

 Than reign in this horrible place." 



I then nailed it firmly to the blade of an oar, 

 and stuck it upright in the ground, piling a large 

 cairn of big stones round the base of the oar to 

 prevent its being knocked down by the wind and 

 weather. It may be there to this day, unless 

 some wanderer has demolished my handiwork, 

 but men who are in the habit of visiting such 

 places would, I think, be the last persons to 

 touch such a sign-post. They are apt to treat 

 life somewhat seriously and would hardly be 

 likely to destroy what might seem to them the 

 finger-post of a possible tragedy ! 



I used to spend the greater part of the day with 

 Andree. He and I became great friends. I one day 

 asked him if he would take me along with him 

 on his expedition to try and find the North Pole, 

 but he laughingly refused. " My crew must be 

 all Swedes ; I would not take even a Norwegian." 

 I was not joking when I made this suggestion ; 



I really meant what I said, and would have 



158 



