--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk…" description: "\"Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at the end of it I came upon the Pocket Hunter ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg" --- # Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white… ![“Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at the end of it I came upon the Pocket Hunter making a dry camp in the friendly scrub.” quote by Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg) > “Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at the end of it I came upon the Pocket Hunter making a dry camp in the friendly scrub.” [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a twilight journey where a ghostly plume of smoke leads to a solitary hunter camped in a friendly scrubland. **In simple terms:** A fleeting, ethereal scene ends with a solitary hunter in a calm wilderness. Key Takeaway Even fleeting moments can reveal solitude and companionship in nature. Themes nature solitude journey twilight wildlife Mood melancholic contemplative Type descriptive narrative When to use this quote - Night hikes in desert landscapes - Camping in remote scrublands - Observing wildlife at dusk Key Concepts transience human connection with environment Practical Applications - Use twilight ambience to enhance storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does the setting influence the mood of the scene? - What does the hunter symbolize in the narrative? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camping/) [Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camps/) [Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry/) [Dry Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry-camp-1206640/) [Dusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dusk/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Friendly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendly/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghost Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-smoke-1206642/) [Hunters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunters/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Moon Trailed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-trailed-1206641/) [Pocket Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pocket-hunter-1206643/) [Pockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) [Smoke End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke-end-1206644/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Wavering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wavering/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose no man becomes a pocket hunter by first intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/i-suppose-no-man-becomes-a-pocket-hunter-by-first-intention/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Let still woman take An elder than herself: so wears she to him, So sways she level in her husband's heart, For, boy, however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-still-woman-take-an-elder-than-herself-so-wears-she-to-him-so/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Wavering and burning like a golden lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-sweet/wavering-and-burning-like-a-golden-lie/) [Matthew Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-sweet/) > [Theology, I am persuaded, derives its initial impulse from a religious wavering; for there is quite as much, or more, that is mysterious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/theology-i-am-persuaded-derives-its-initial-impulse-from-a-religious/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [What is life? A gulf of troubled waters, where the soul, like a vexed bark, is tossed upon the waves of pain and pleasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/what-is-life-a-gulf-of-troubled-waters-where-the-soul-like-a-vexed/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [Mountain, mountain, mountain, marking time. Each nameless, wall beyond wall, wavering redefinition of horizon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/mountain-mountain-mountain-marking-time-each-nameless-wall-beyond/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [We were wavering around like a ship without a sail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-holliday/we-were-wavering-around-like-a-ship-without-a-sail/) [Judy Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-holliday/) > [The People's Liberation Army is always a fighting force. Even after countrywide victory, our army will remain a fighting force during the historical period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-people-s-liberation-army-is-always-a-fighting-force-even-after/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [Through personal prayer, through family prayer, by trusting in God with faith, nothing wavering, we can call down to our rescue His mighty power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/through-personal-prayer-through-family-prayer-by-trusting-in-god-with/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joseph saw God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/it-was-by-faith-nothing-wavering-that-joseph-saw-god-our-eternal/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [No man is able to make progress when he is wavering between opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/no-man-is-able-to-make-progress-when-he-is-wavering-between-opposite/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Rachel,” came a raspy voice from the upper level, and both Trent and I turned. It was Quen, wrapped in a blanket as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/rachel-came-a-raspy-voice-from-the-upper-level-and-both-trent-and-i/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures And of so easy and so plain a stop That the blunt monster with uncounted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rumour-is-a-pipe-blown-by-surmises-jealousies-conjectures-and-of-so/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Man liveth from hour to hour, and knoweth not what may happen; Influences circle him on all sides, and yet must he answer for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/man-liveth-from-hour-to-hour-and-knoweth-not-what-may-happen/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) ## More by Mary Hunter Austin > [Genius . . . arises in the natural, aboriginal concern for the conscious unity of all phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/genius-arises-in-the-natural-aboriginal-concern-for-the-conscious/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Man is not himself only...He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources...He is the land, the lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/man-is-not-himself-only-he-is-all-that-he-sees-all-that-flows-to-him/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [This is the sense of the desert hills, that there is room enough and time enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/this-is-the-sense-of-the-desert-hills-that-there-is-room-enough-and/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [No man can be stronger than his destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/no-man-can-be-stronger-than-his-destiny/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [The utmost the American novelist can hope for, if he hopes at all to see his work included in the literature of his time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/the-utmost-the-american-novelist-can-hope-for-if-he-hopes-at-all-to/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Man learned to resort to the dance when he felt helpless or fragmentary, when he felt dislocated in his universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/man-learned-to-resort-to-the-dance-when-he-felt-helpless-or/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Life set itself to new processions of seed-time and harvest, the skin newly turned to seasonal variations, the very blood humming to new altitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/life-set-itself-to-new-processions-of-seed-time-and-harvest-the-skin/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [In the common esteem, not only are the only good aboriginals dead ones, but all aboriginals are either sacred or contemptible according to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/in-the-common-esteem-not-only-are-the-only-good-aboriginals-dead-ones/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [All mountain streets have streams to thread them, or deep grooves where a stream might run. You would do well to avoid that range…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/all-mountain-streets-have-streams-to-thread-them-or-deep-grooves/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [You have to beat out for yourself many mornings on the windy headlands the sense of the fact that you get the same rainbow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/you-have-to-beat-out-for-yourself-many-mornings-on-the-windy/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [As I walk .. as I walk .. / The universe .. is walking with me .. / Beautifully .. it walks before me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/as-i-walk-as-i-walk-the-universe-is-walking-with-me-beautifully-it/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Man is a great blunderer going about in the woods, and there is no other except the bear makes so much noise. ... The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/man-is-a-great-blunderer-going-about-in-the-woods-and-there-is-no/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Of the first philosophers, then, most thought the principles which were of the nature of matter were the only principles of all things. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/of-the-first-philosophers-then-most-thought-the-principles-which-were/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [I do not know who sings my songs / Before they are sung by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/i-do-not-know-who-sings-my-songs-before-they-are-sung-by-me/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Nothing the desert produces expresses it better than the unhappy growth of the tree yuccas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/nothing-the-desert-produces-expresses-it-better-than-the-unhappy/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) [Explore all 38 Mary Hunter Austin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) ## More Camping quotes > [“I'm surprised when I walk right into yet another abandoned hunters' camp. Tattered plastic sheeting still hangs askew here and there. Blackened aerosol cans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/i-m-surprised-when-i-walk-right-into-yet-another-abandoned-hunters/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [The ultimate camping trip was the Lewis and Clark expedition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-ultimate-camping-trip-was-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I might not be very approachable because through my whole life, from when I was eight years old, I had people camping behind my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasper-schmeichel/i-might-not-be-very-approachable-because-through-my-whole-life-from/) [Kasper Schmeichel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasper-schmeichel/) > [I am a big fan of the night shoots, as tough as they are, because they have almost a camping trip feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-roy/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-night-shoots-as-tough-as-they-are-because-they/) [Drew Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-roy/) > [Do not collaborate with someone you would not go camping with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poynter/do-not-collaborate-with-someone-you-would-not-go-camping-with/) [Dan Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poynter/) > [My training camp has always been been something I have looked forward to every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-race/my-training-camp-has-always-been-been-something-i-have-looked-forward/) [Harley Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-race/) > [“As they say in camp: I sell it to you for what I paid for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solschenizyn/as-they-say-in-camp-i-sell-it-to-you-for-what-i-paid-for-it/) [Alexander Solschenizyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solschenizyn/) > [As parents, we need to send our kids back to 'old-fashioned' outdoor summer camps, which have been on the decline as the demand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darell-hammond/as-parents-we-need-to-send-our-kids-back-to-old-fashioned-outdoor/) [Darell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darell-hammond/) > [Yeah, I like going away for camp. It brings out the savagery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashad-evans/yeah-i-like-going-away-for-camp-it-brings-out-the-savagery/) [Rashad Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashad-evans/) > [“I will go with you, and when you make your camp, I will cook your meat, and when you wish to sleep, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-will-go-with-you-and-when-you-make-your-camp-i-will-cook-your-meat/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [The reading I did do that stuck with me was usually somewhat breathless and brittle - I suppose camp. But my definition of camp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/the-reading-i-did-do-that-stuck-with-me-was-usually-somewhat/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [Summer camp: the second worst camp for Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/summer-camp-the-second-worst-camp-for-jews/) [Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/) > [I love camping, everything about it - tents, the camping stove, sleeping bags. I'm obsessed with technology, be it synthesizers and speakers or tents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/i-love-camping-everything-about-it-tents-the-camping-stove-sleeping/) [Shura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shura/) > [Off they go on this sort of camping trip to Iwo Jima, where they're taken around and shown where all the battles took place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/off-they-go-on-this-sort-of-camping-trip-to-iwo-jima-where-they-re/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Browse all 367 Camping quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camping/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at the end of it I came upon the Pocket Hunter making a dry camp in the friendly scrub.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Hunter Austin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-under-a-young-white-moon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Camping" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-under-a-young-white-moon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/mary-hunter-austin-16934_camping_over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-un_99074.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at…” — Mary Hunter Austin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mary Hunter Austin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Over the tops of it, beginning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-under-a-young-white-moon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-under-a-young-white-moon/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```