90 HUNTING CAMPS. 



but these birds are found in much larger numbers more 

 to the south. 



Two successful hunting trips had already taken Terra 

 Nova as their point of departure, one being that of Mr. 

 Selous, to which I have already alluded; and in the 

 following year that of Mr. J. G. Millais. Both these 

 had been September trips, and it yet remained to be 

 seen what luck a hunter would meet with who spent 

 October in approximately the same district. I had 

 planned to go some little distance above the head of 

 George's Pond in canoes, and there to "take the 

 country." We carried provisions for four weeks, a 

 change of clothes apiece, and our sleeping gear. 



After breakfasting, I spent the morning in doing the 

 half-dozen odd jobs that always gather about the outset 

 of a journey. Life contains many good moments, but 

 few, I think, better worth living than those anticipatory 

 ones passed in making ready to start for new, or, indeed, 

 for familiar, hunting-grounds. 



The train from the north was some hours late, and 

 did not come in till one o'clock, and when it arrived 

 I learned that a canoe on which I had relied, and 

 which Jack was to bring from Glovertown, was 

 unfortunately not available. This might very easily 

 have caused me a long delay had it not been for the 

 fortunate and accidental presence of a large flat- 

 bottomed boat which belonged to an acquaintance of 

 Jack Wells. About three o'clock, or a little later, all 

 was prepared, and we set out, shoving off into the 

 shallow waters of the Terra Nova, Jack Wells and 

 myself pulling the big flat, the other two men 

 in charge of a canvas canoe. The wind had veered 

 and blown away the clouds of the morning, and 



