104 RECENT HUNTING TRIPS. 



poles of all sizes. In spite of my utmost pre- 

 cautions I found it impossible to pass this 

 barrier without making some noise, and this 

 must have alarmed the caribou, as when I 

 sighted them again they had already passed the 

 spot where I had hoped to get a shot at them 

 and were trotting along the water's edge, and 

 — as I discovered when the mist cleared off — 

 were already two hundred yards away from me. 



I thought they were nearer, for although their 

 forms were somewhat iU-defined in the mist, I 

 could see that the hindmost animal carried 

 horns of some size, and was therefore a stag. 

 I lost no time in firing at him and heard my 

 bullet hit. He ran on a short distance and then 

 stood still, evidently facing right away from 

 me, as I could only see the white of his hind- 

 quarters. 



My second shot missed its mark, I think, for 

 although it hit somewhere, the sound was not 

 convincing, and I fancy it struck the bank just 

 in front of the stag. At any rate, he turned 

 round immediately and came galloping back 

 towards me along the water's edge. When 



