r.= 



RECREATION. 



of an occasional wetting from a storm or a 

 fall in the stream. I have rarely, if ever, 

 seen harm come from this source, if the 

 clothes could be dried 1 as soon as one ceased 

 to exercise. Most hunters and fishermen 

 in the mountains have been wet through 

 and dried their clothes by their own bodily 

 heat without any harm. I do not of course 

 recommend this; I mention it merely to 

 show that an ordinary drenching is not to 

 be expected to cause sickness even if one 

 can not get dry clothing. A big dinner 

 often answers in place of a change of 

 clothes, as many of us can prove by ex- 

 perience. The increased dryness of the 

 air in the mountains is here of advantage. 



It is more dangerous to sleep in a damp 

 bed, and it certainly is not especially 

 comfortable. Particular pains should be 

 taken in packing and in camp to protect 

 the inside of bedding from exposure to 

 rain. A wet tarpaulin on the outside 

 cuts little figure if it can be dried out the 

 next day. 



The temptation to take plenty of exer- 



cise in the mountains is one of the best 

 features of camp life. The liver, which 

 does not work well in New York, with 

 too ^rnuch rich food and too little exercise, 

 is likely to stop its complaining under the 

 influence of a plain diet and muscular 

 work, which increases every secretion. 

 One should recall here Abernathy's ad- 

 vice to gouty Englishmen, "You can get 

 well if you will live on a shilling a day and 

 earn it by manual labor." 



The increased demand on the heart 

 leads to its improving in tone, for, like 

 the digestive organs, it must rise to the 

 occasion. The lungs, as we have men- 

 tioned, the skin, and all the organs take on 

 new activity. Under the influence of the 

 improved general condition many minor 

 ailments, especially of a nervous nature, 

 disappear. The influence of change has 

 long been recognized as of great value in 

 the treatment of disease. The tremen- 

 dous change from a strenuous city life to 

 that of the mountain camp often works an 

 actual miracle. 



THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN. 



L. BAILEY. 



I have followed the discussion, 



Read the logic and the lore, 

 As to what's the proper rifle 



And what's the proper bore; 

 And I've come to the conclusion 



After all is said and done, 

 There's a mighty lot depending 



On the man behind the gun. 



Be it twenty-five or thirty, 



Or up to the largest size, 

 If the shooting stick is perfect, 



'Tisn't there the secret lies. 

 Let him have what bore he chooses, 



But before I bet my mon', 

 I would know the shooting metal 



In the man behind the gun. 



Better use a gun that fits you, 



Though its caliber be small, 

 Than a mammoth mouthed old cannon 



That you can not shoot at all. 

 You can't kill game when you miss it, 



Though your bullet weigh a ton. 

 Just remember there is something 



In the man behind the gun. 



When you're suffering with Buck 



Or your nerves are on a "tear" ; 

 Your eyes are out of order 



And don't catch the notches fair; 

 You can miss your game dead easy, 



And of course it mars your fun, 

 But don't lay it to your weapon; 



It's the man behind the gun. 



fever, 



So let them scrap and wrangle, 



I'll not enter in their fight; 

 For I've come to the conclusion, 



Which I'm sure is nearly right, 

 Though the caliber's the largest, 



Or the smallest 'neath the sun, 

 There's a mighty lot depending 



,0n the man behind the gun,, 



