186 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



the old fellow would only wander around in a circle. 

 At last the horse brushed past a pole on which hung 

 a gunny-sack. Dyche remembered noticing this as 

 he came into the canon, and now he began to wonder 

 how far that pole was from camp. He struck Charlie 

 again and made him go forwards. Suddenly there 

 loomed up beside him some big white object which 

 he took for a rock, but on feeling it found that it was 

 the tent. Charlie had not broken his record, but 

 was right in camp. In a few minutes a fire was 

 burning brightly and supper was under way. It 

 was after one o'clock in the morning, and the guide 

 was not there. The shots had evidently been fired 

 far up the canon by the man, who was also lost. 

 He returned to camp next day, having lain out on 

 the mountain all night. 



By half-past two Dyche finished his supper, or 

 breakfast, and bath, and rolled into his sleeping-bag, 

 feeling that "all's well that ends well." But the 

 troubles of the night were not over. Just as he be- 

 gan to doze he felt something run across his bed, and 

 then heard a dragging noise on the floor of the tent. 

 A mountain rat was exploring the place. After 

 standing it as long as h could, the naturalist got up 

 and set a trap for the intruder. He had scarcely 

 got back to bed when the trap snapped and the rat 

 squealed. This noise had to be stopped, so Dyche 

 got up and killed the rat, setting the trap again. 

 The minute he touched the bed another marauder 

 was caught, and then until morning the trap was 

 kept busy and a family of seven rats were killed. 

 When the last one was gone it was broad daylight, 



