A TANTALISING QUEST -lO^j 



soizod nic vclioincnl 1\ li\- the Injijx^ts of iiiv cont ami tlioii 

 bcii'aii tierce 1\- nulliii''- nil' liis dot lies. It Idokcd as ij' he 

 wanttMl to tiglit uiv, Inil I coiTcctly iiilciprcliMl the action 

 lo tiicaii that lie wmiM |tle(\ii'e his old coat tlial liis \ic\v 

 was C'OiTecl. I let liim hasc his waw and we stuinhhil 

 o\cr iaUfii sit'iiis and ah)nL:,' the stuiiN- IkmI ot" tlic stream, 

 ami al last hcL^an to st'c the ivd rcllcction ol' a jire on the 

 pine trees. Just then two shots were fired as a signal, and 

 we wore soon at lionic. 'Idns \vas a ]»i'ottv cam]), and as 

 sh(dtcrc(l as the other was exposed. 'i'hc little stream ran 

 past the door of our tent. Its deeper pools were lull ot" 

 small trout of a \-er\' liglit colour. Tliev were sinuularK- 

 fearless, and I daresay would he easy to catch, but we did 

 not trv. 



Two of the animals <»f our [)a(dv train had come to grief 

 on the wav down, and rolled fortv metres down the slope. 

 The accident had n(» worse result than this: — .Mfred's 

 favourite tin of Ilea jiowder was smashed and all his 

 po-ssessions were permeated witli its contents. in the 

 mornino- ever\- l]\' in the tent cluno- to the inof a shrivelled 

 corpse, and the ult iniate conse((uence was still more serious, 

 for when the hag was opened the insidious dust ga\e him 

 such an attack of asthma that he did not completely 

 recover from its etfects for three weeks. 



We had tinie(l our visit to imdv'e the most of the 

 season I'f ■"hixc and war." hojiing that tlir "' hrlling "' c)r 

 "roarintr' of the staii's wduld help us. it has alwavs 

 seemed to me that the latter term is a misnomer as a 

 deseri[)tion of the sound, which is more like the cx- 

 axrorcrated \awn of a lii<'- lu>tv man. It did mu 

 prove to be such an assistance as I expected. L'om- 



