OHAP. X.] EATIONALE OF THEM. 307 



dark ; and this, in addition to the squareness of the 

 hat, makes an object of him that is particularly calculated 

 to attract attention. It would be, I am sure, hopeless 

 to stalk wary animals in such a costume, unless the 

 character of the country gave most peculiar facilities 

 for doing so. A man who wishes to dress for stalking 

 may uidulge his smart fancies to a great extent, but 

 should test every i)attern that he selects by viewing 

 its effect at a slight distance, say twenty yards, the 

 main point of all being, that the depth of tint (leaving 

 every consideration of colour aside) should be neither 

 too light nor too dark. I have frequently amused 

 myself by cutting out in paper figures of men, all of 

 the same size and shape, and painting one a rifle- 

 green, and the others bright blue, yellow, and red, in 

 spots or patterns. I have then stuck up these figures 

 against the face of a landscape painting, and retreating 

 ten or twelve yards, the dark green form of the 

 rifleman, place it where I would, remained a promi- 

 nent unmistakable mass, while the others faded as it 

 were into the foliage, and could not be distinguished 

 from it. It requires a few trials to hit off the 

 proportions of the different colours used to produce 

 a perfect result. I may add, in case the reader might 

 wish to experimentalise, that it saves much running 

 backwards and forwards in doing it to place a looking- 

 glass some distance in front, and, as the painting goes 

 on, to hold the sketch up from time to time and 

 observe the effect in the distant reflection. 



To return from this long digression to my narrative. 



On the 1st of November, the eighth day after leaving 



