MATING 53 



of bushes, but just as I began to move she looked up ; 

 evidently what she saw made her consider her suspicions 

 fully justified, for she promptly gave a loud snort and 

 started off to the eastward, and the entire herd followed at 

 full swing, not even waiting a moment to enquire the reason 

 for this sudden departure. From the direction they were 

 going there was every reason to believe that their destination 

 was a barren I knew of, about a mile and a half away. As 

 the wind made it impossible to follow them without great 

 danger of their getting my scent I returned to the canoe, 

 which I found to be surrounded by thin ice, which though 

 apparently so fragile is treacherous to those who do not 

 understand, for even though it be but a fraction of an inch 

 in thickness, it will quickly cut through the canvas or wood 

 sheathing of a boat. Carefully cutting my way through, 

 I proceeded up the river to a place where I could enter 

 the barren, in which I expected to find the herd, from 

 the leeward side. On arriving I found my surmise to 

 be correct. Not only was there the herd of forty-two 

 that I had previously seen, but another and still larger herd 

 was joining them, and to my delight it contained one 

 really magnificent stag, and several more than ordinarily 

 good ones. 



For some time I stood on the hill overlooking the swampy 

 barren watching the animals and wondering how I could 

 possibly get within photographic range of the big stag, for 

 of course the larger the herd the greater is the difficulty of 

 stalking it. If shooting had been my object what an oppor- 

 tunity this was, for they were scarcely two hundred yards 

 away, an easy shot for the rifle, but an impossible one for 

 the camera. While trying to arrange some plan which would 

 offer even a slight chance of success, I was disgusted to see 

 my old white friend start back in the direction from which 



