IN THE FOREST 99 



ing." I soon had five on the bank and could 

 as easily have had fifty. To us the fish were 

 quite uneatable, but the dogs thoroughly 

 enjoyed them. I could see no sign of trout 

 of any size or in any number. I only caught 

 one tiny cut-throat. Dead humpbacks were 

 lying in all the pools, and along the banks of 

 the river ; there were tracks of a big bear close 

 to camp and many deer tracks, but the dense 

 undergrowth destroyed any chance of a shot. 



Returning to camp about 6 p.m. I set out 

 for a grassy hollow, fairly open and close to 

 the river where Lansdown said deer were 

 certain to come out to feed in the evening. 

 I stood the mosquitoes for about five minutes 

 when I had to retire ignominiously, as they 

 were simply in clouds. 



Night fell and there was no sign of Smith 

 or Thomson. Fortunately the weather had 

 been quite perfect and a bivouac in the woods 

 would be no great hardship. 



' Nigger " was a source of continual amuse- 

 ment to me that day. He was a dog of great 

 character and had become much attached to 

 me. He liked the camp fire and never was so 

 happy as when sitting on his haunches as close 

 as he could get to it and blinking with intense 

 joy. His master, I fear, often drove him away, 

 but he always crept back a few minutes after. 



H 2 



