CH. XT. A HAED NIGHT'S WOEK. 273 



those that were dry and those still requiring pressure 

 between dry paper. With the exception of half an hour 

 given to another interview with the friendly Kaid of 

 Amsmiz, we were thus occupied until long after midnight. 

 Although our store of drying-paper was large, the demand 

 often exceeded the supply, and many a friendly contest 

 arose as to respective rights of property in parcels of 

 soiled paper, here priceless, which elsewhere would have 

 seemed of no value. Those who have had experience in 

 this line know that the labour of a botanical collector is 

 not light, and in truth it would be almost intolerable if it 

 were not for its compensating pleasiu-es. It often hap- 

 pened that the solitary candle was in use throughout the 

 entire night. Ball working till two o'clock or later, when 

 Hooker would rise, more or less refreshed, and keep up 

 work till daylight. 



But in the pursuits of a naturalist there are abundant 

 sources of satisfaction not suspected by the uninitiated. 

 These are not merely derived from the objects them- 

 selves, suggesting as they often do interesting trains of 

 thought and speculation ; there are further springs of 

 keen enjoyment in the countless impressions with which 

 they are linked by the subtle influence of association. 

 ]Much of the pleasure that an artist, however unskilled, 

 derives from travel, arises from the power of each sketch 

 to bring back again to the mind the original scene of 

 which it is but the imperfect transcript. If he be active 

 and industrious, he may preserve a dozen such keys to the 

 impressions of each day's journey. But to the botanist 

 almost every specimen is indissolubly linked in the 

 memory with the spot where it was collected ; and as he 

 goes through the produce of his day's work, every minute 

 detail is vividly presented to the mind, along with the 

 wider background that lay behind the original picture. 

 The wonder and awe that dwell around the mountain 

 fastnesses, the consolation of the forest glade, the indefin- 

 able grandem* of the desert plain, nay, even the bleak 



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