88 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



but never again had such a run after wapiti as 

 that which I have endeavoured to describe. Cir- 

 cumstances must be very favourable to ensure a 

 good run after elk : the ground must be tolerably- 

 hard, or else there is no chance whatever, and you 

 must be able to get near enough to the game 

 unseen to enable you to burst in upon them at 

 the first spurt, otherwise you will never get up 

 with them at all. I remember once chasing a 

 wounded stag nearly all day along with a friend 

 who was hunting with me and a government 

 scout. It was most ludicrous : we got within 

 about 300 yards of him, and do what we would we 

 could get no nearer. We followed in this way for 

 hours, till our horses were completely blown, and 

 eventually killed him, because the deer himself 

 became exhausted through loss of blood, just as 

 our horses were giving out. The scout had got 

 within a hundred yards or so, and was just pulling 

 up his completely played-out horse, when the 

 deer stood still for a moment, which gave the 

 man time to slip out of the saddle and finish him 

 with a lucky shot. He was a fine stag, with a good 

 pair of horns. A nice chase he gave us, and a nice 

 job we had to get back to camp that night. We 

 were completely lost, had been running round 



