OF THE OLD WORLD. 377 



give a la Mrs Harris's : — " First catch your goose, 

 cut off the head, pull off the feathers with the skin, 

 cut the meat from off the bones in small square 

 pieces, and chuck them into a frying pan, with 

 butter, pepper, and salt, if you have any, letting 

 them stew until they assume a rich bro^vni colour, 

 when you may begin to eat." Bread or biscuit 

 fried up with the fat is a considerable adjunct. 



!My hunger satiated, the gang, according to their 

 usual custom, made a huge fire of dry logs on a 

 piece of open ground a short distance in front of the 

 hut ; and, spreading my carpet to windward, I pre- 

 pared to enjoy the " fragrant weed," and cogitate 

 upon the programme for the morrow, whilst our 

 tents d'abii (of which each of us carried a part in 

 front of his saddle) were being pitched : it being 

 considered preferable to sleep under canvas to re- 

 maining in the hut, on account of vermin ; fleas hav- 

 ing been found so large and numerous that Kuchuk 

 declared that he was afraid of molesting or annoying 

 any of the race, for, if they made a combined attack, 

 and all pulled one way, he felt sure they would be 

 able to drag him bodily out of the hut. 



There is no time more pleasant in the life of an 

 old forest-ranger than the setting in of the night 

 after a good day's sport, when the hunters recline 

 round the log-fire, shaded from the evening dew by 

 the canopy of some gigantic forest tree, and talk 

 over the events of the day or the hopes of the mor- 

 row. Then the soothing cheroot and comfortincc 



