242 THE LABRADOR PENINSULA. CHAP. xv. 



he told me the reason of Michel's excited manner and the 

 subject of conversation. 



It appeared that last winter Michel and two of his 

 cousins had been stationed near Caribou Lake by Do- 

 menique to watch for caribou, and prevent them from 

 taking a certain path over precipitous rocks which they 

 were known to frequent, and over which the hunter could 

 not follow them swiftly enough when only a little snow 

 was on the ground. The object of the hunter was to drive 

 the caribou through a favourable pass, which would make 

 the death of some of them a matter of certainty. 

 Michel, when we first saw him on the mound, was mentally 

 reviewing the incidents of that day's hunt, and indicating 

 with the undulatory motion of his hand the direction the 

 caribou had taken. The story which he was telling 

 related to a singular incident which happened to himself. 

 He had been watching for some hours with his companion, 

 when they heard the clatter of hoofs over the rocks. 

 Looking in a direction from which they least expected 

 caribou would come, they saw two caribou pursued by a 

 small band of wolves, making directly for the spot where 

 they were lying. They were not more than 300 yards 

 away, but coming with tremendous bounds, and fast in- 

 creasing the distance between themselves and the wolves, 

 who had evidently surprised them only a short time before. 

 .Neither Michel nor his companion had fire-arms, but each 

 was provided with his bow and arrows. The deer came 

 on ; the Indians lay in the snow ready to shoot. The un- 

 suspecting animals darted past the hunters like the wind, 

 but each received an arrow, and one dropped. Instantly 

 taking a fresh arrow they waited for the wolves. With a 



