Trail and Camp-Fire 



I think it was Sir William Thompson who 

 said, that if he were offered his choice between 

 the possession of knowledge and its pursuit, 

 he would unhesitatingly choose the pursuit. 

 I must admit that I am somewhat of that 

 philosopher's mind in regard to game, for the 

 pleasure of a day's hunting has never been 

 dependent upon the quantity of game bagged. 

 When the country through which one hunts 

 is beautiful the days have an added pleasure. 



Many years ago I spent some time among 

 the Harz Mountains in Germany, hunting in 

 the preserves of the Duke of Brunswick. The 

 richness in legend and fable, and the wild 

 beauty of that region, made it a delight, even 

 when no shot was fired, to roam over moun- 

 tain or through valley, trying to find game in 

 the daytime, or watching for wild boars by 

 moonlight. So, in our own North Woods, it 

 is not necessary even to see a deer, in order 

 to lie down contentedly to dreamless sleep on 

 the balsam boughs. Nature herself repays all 

 the labor of forcing a way through the tangled 

 underbrush, struggling through swamp, or 

 climbing rocky hillsides. But, were the coun- 

 try without an attractive feature, the true 

 sportsman would find in the chase itself ample 



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