66 NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU 



young stags all around, and the slightest mistake would 

 cause my presence to be discovered, ending all my 

 chances, and in all probability I should never have another 

 opportunity of being within range of a real fight 

 between two such splendid animals. It is unnecessary 

 for me to say that I used the utmost caution in moving 

 forward to where I might possibly succeed in getting 

 a picture. My heart was beating so violently that I 

 breathed with difficulty and my hand trembled so that 

 I could scarcely manipulate the camera. Among the 

 small scattered trees I could distinguish the two big 

 stags, the fallen one had picked himself up and was now 

 making strenuous efforts to withstand the onslaughts of his 

 powerRil antagonist. With lowered heads they came at 

 one another, crash succeeding crash without advantage to 

 either one. 



How shall I describe my sensations as I watched this 

 magnificent battle ? To say that it was exciting does not 

 express it at all. Here I was alone in the great wilderness. 

 Perhaps I even regretted having no companion, for it 

 seemed selfish to enjoy the spectacle by myself, yet in that 

 way only can such a scene be watched to the greatest 

 advantage. Another person would not only have divided 

 my attention, but would have more than doubled the risk 

 of discovery. The knowledge of such risk would have 

 made me nervous, therefore it was perhaps just as well to be 

 alone, free to concentrate my whole mind on the animals 

 by which I was almost surrounded, free to move or keep 

 quiet according to the movements of the keenly alert 

 creatures ; and so I strained my eyes to see without being 

 seen, taking advantage of the low, scrubby cover which 

 separated me from the mighty stags. 



How their horns startled the stillness of the wilds ! Each 



