OX THE WATCH. 273 



The forest, on whose margin we had arrived, WHS 

 bordered by an extent of ground denuded of all vegeta- 

 tion, and Monai, who had sighted a cariboo, endeavoured 

 to reach, without being seen, the trunk of a many-branched 

 cedar well adapted for a shelter, and in whose rear it 

 might be possible to aim at the animal. To see him drag 

 himself along on his belly, you would have taken him for 

 a serpent ; and Mr. Howard and I conscientiously sought 

 to imitate all his wrigglings in the most sympathetic 

 manner. 



At length, in my turn, I caught sight of the cariboos. 

 Before us was a troop of twenty animals, some biting the 

 bark off the trees, and others performing their morning 

 toilette, smoothing their hair with their tongues, and 

 combing it with their antlers. All, with the exception, 

 perhaps, of the largest animal in the herd, seemed unsus- 

 picious of the approach of their enemies. This male 

 cariboo had an unquiet air ; he held his head erect, threw 

 all around him a suspicious glance, moved his ears to and 

 fro, opened his nostrils, and violently sniffed the wind. 

 Monai did not lose sight of him ; he advanced only when 

 the cariboo turned aside his head, and in every respect 

 we followed all his movements. Every hunter reading 

 my faithful narrative will understand how my heart beat 

 with emotion during these few minutes, which seemed to 

 me as long as years. 



At last we arrived behind the tree. Mr. Howard, 

 barely moving his lips, made me understand that I was 

 to aim at the cariboo who was foremost in the troop on 

 my own side : he himself would single out the large 

 animal, distant about ninety paces from us ; as for Mo- 

 Cm) 18 



