WAPITI-RUNNING ON THE PLAINS 75 



at first they might be, Indians. As soon as we had 

 made the joyful discovery we mounted our horses, 

 and galloped off, making a long circuit down wind, 

 so as to come upon the game from the proper direc- 

 tion. Jack's instinct as a hunter stood us in good 

 stead on this occasion. He brought us round 

 beautifully to the exact spot where the deer lay, 

 which was an exceedingly difficult thing to do, 

 considering that when we first saw them they were 

 four or five miles off, and were lying on a sand-hill 

 exactly like hundreds and thousands of other sand- 

 hills that surrounded us in every direction. There 

 was not even the slightest landmark to point out 

 the position of the elk, and having once got on our 

 horses we never saw them till Jack brought us 

 within a few hundred yards of the herd. 



I had no idea where we were, when Jack said, 

 " Now be mighty careful in going up this hill, and 

 keep your eyes skinned : we ought to be able to see 

 elk from the top." Accordingly we rode our horses 

 up inch by inch, stooping down on their necks 

 whenever we moved, and halting every two or three 

 steps, and gradually raising our heads, so as to be 

 sure of catching sight of the game before they saw 

 us. When we discovered the deer, we found they 

 were lying on the opposite hill-side, out of shot, 



