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THE WAPITI 
289 
his or her share of the arrangements. But where 
were they all to sleep ? I had two small tents and 
camp-beds. The ladies could sleep together in a 
room, and the men must lie upon the floor on 
mattresses and blankets for one night. 
There was a great bustle in the little establish¬ 
ment. Peters and Alston cleared away packing- 
cases, boxes, and a heap of articles that occupied 
the hall. Both these energetic workers were 
quickly armed with brooms, and the room was 
thoroughly swept out. A table was cleverly 
arranged. Mrs. Peters produced a beautiful new 
table-cloth, which was in itself an emblem of civilisa¬ 
tion, and my wife and her hostess then sallied out 
to search for some wild plants to decorate the table. 
There were wild hops in profusion, growing within 
150 yards of the house. Berries of bright red, and 
coloured leaves were found, all of which were 
prettily arranged in designs which reminded us of 
home. 
I left this domestic felicity, and took my gun in 
search of wild-fowl, while Peters and Alston went 
off with a scoop-net to catch some fish. They 
knew a particular pool about half a mile distant 
which would yield a good supply. 
If a photograph had been taken of the operation, 
these two young men would have represented 
ancient Britons without the ornament of woad. 
They stripped themselves quite naked and entered 
the pool. The first step, or rather “plunge,” 
consisted in disturbing the water, when a particular 
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