A WINTER IN THE WILDERNESS 119 



of trees and bushes where they can. The wipiti is the 

 most wandering of the deer found in this district ; and 

 we destroyed several while they were helplessly flounder- 

 ing through the snow, by either stabbing with a pike 

 or cutting the jugular vein with a knife. For the heavy 

 deer, breaking through the crust of frozen snow at every 

 step, is quite incapable of either flight or fight, though they 

 try to assume an offensive attitude to intimidate when 

 closely approached. One of those thus killed uttered 

 a hoarse roar when about to be stabbed. The cry, or 

 bellow, of the wipiti is difficult to describe. It is a sort 

 of hoarse blowing sound, low pitched in tone. 



Notwithstanding what is written in Natural Histories 

 of the wonderful adaptability of the hoofs of reindeers for 

 progress over the snow, cariboo break through the frozen 

 snow as easily as wipiti, and are destroyed with equal 

 facility. The best defence of both deer is in their remark- 

 able acuteness ; for they will scent the approach of the 

 hunter when he is miles away, and long before he comes 

 in sight. They must therefore be approached against 

 the wind, for if time is given them they will move off 

 to broken ground where they cannot be followed on 

 snow-shoes, or will gain such a start on a frozen lake 

 that it is hopeless to try to overtake them. The greatest 

 part of the snow is always swept from the surface of 

 lakes by the wind, owing, I suppose, to the smooth hard 

 ice which affords it little opportunity of drifting and 

 clinging, as it does on the ground; and it is on the ice, 

 probably, that the broad hoof of the reindeer is of use 

 to him. 



When the Indians find a herd of cariboo in difficulties, 

 they destroy them all. In spite of this dreadful waste, 

 cariboo were plentiful in many parts of Canada at this 

 time, and nowhere more so than at this place. A great 

 many were killed by us in the same way as the wipiti, 

 by stabbing or cutting their throats, as this method saved 

 powder. I was vexed that so many were killed, but I 



