244 The Wilderness Hunter 



After a while he reached a spruce island, through 

 which he walked to and fro; but evidently could 

 find therein no resting-place quite to his mind, for 

 he soon left and went on to another. Here after a 

 little wandering he chose a point where there was 

 some thick young growth, which hid him from view 

 when he lay down, though not when he stood. Af- 

 ter some turning he settled himself in his bed just 

 as a steer would. 



He could not have chosen a spot better suited for 

 us. He was nearly at the edge of the morass, the 

 open space between the spruce clump where he was 

 lying and the rocky foothills being comparatively 

 dry and not much over a couple of hundred yards 

 broad ; while some sixty yards from it, and between 

 it and the hills, was a little hummock, tufted with 

 firs, so as to afford us just the cover we needed. 

 Keeping back from the edge of the morass we were 

 able to walk upright through the forest, until we 

 got the point where he was lying in a line with this 

 little hummock. We then dropped on our hands 

 and knees, and crept over the soft, wet sward, where 

 there was nothing to make a noise. Wherever the 

 ground rose at all we crawled flat on our bellies. 

 The air was still, for it was a very calm morning. 



At last we reached the hummock, and I got into 

 position for a shot, taking a final look at my faithful 

 45-90 Winchester to see that all was in order. Peer- 

 ing cautiously through the shielding evergreens, I 



