SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 



In this way four very pleasant though strenuous 

 days were spent. Daily we rode out, first up the 

 main valley, and then up one of the side ravines, 

 to the spot, from which we meant to commence 

 operations. Daily a small band of beaters gathered 

 behind us, as we rode through the scattered 

 villages along our path ; and daily we tramped 

 miles through the deep snoAv or sat impatiently on 

 some sunny slope while the beaters did their work. 

 By noon we were usually in such a ravenous state of 

 hunger, that no matter what kind of luck we were 

 having, we would one and all find our way back to 

 the shack where we had left our ponies, in search of 

 something wherewith to replenish our exliausted 

 vitality. The first man back was expected to 

 prepare food for all. We could usually secure 

 potatoes and eggs, which with the bacon and 

 cold meat brought in our saddle-bags, formed the 

 basis of many a rare culinary masterpiece. 



Each night on returning to the Mission, a well 

 cooked dinner awaited us, while usually Father 



R joined us at coffee time and sat smoking 



and chatting till late in the evening. The amus- 

 ing thing about these social evenings was the fact 

 that conversation was carried on in no fewer 

 than five different languages. The Father could 

 speak French, Chinese and a little German and 

 Spanish, but no English, so that Douglas con- 

 versed with him in French, Schroder plied his 

 German and Spanish, while I soon fell back on 



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