84 RECENT HUNTING TRIPS. 



arrived, and before we could get the tents 

 pitched rain had commenced to fall. 



On the following morning, leaving our cook 

 in charge of the tents, I set out with Stroud, 

 his son, and Saunders on an excursion into the 

 country lying to the west of our encampment. 

 We travelled light, only taking tea, sugar, 

 hard biscuit, and a piece of bacon in the way 

 of provisions, and a light canvas sheet instead 

 of a tent. I took a single blanket for myself, 

 but the men had only one blanket between 

 them. However, in Newfoundland an abun- 

 dance of dry wood is almost everywhere to be 

 found, and there is, therefore, no difficulty in 

 keeping warm with the help of a good fire, 

 without a blanket at all. 



On this excursion we were absent from camp 

 for five days, and travelled over a good deal 

 of countrj''. During the first day's march we 

 crossed the tracks of a great number of 

 caribou. These tracks were all going west- 

 wards, and, tliough none were fresh, the 

 greater part of them seemed to be only a few 

 days old. 



