178 CANADIAN WILDS. 



Bazil argued with himself that from the un- 

 certain way the doctor's gun was wabbling about 

 there were several hundred chances to one 

 against his hitting the deer, and as a conse- 

 quence, he would be minus his bonus. 



So he employed a ruse. He counted the 

 agreed signal to fire, but instead of firing at 

 the one lying down, he drew a bead on the doc- 

 tor's, and, of course, killed it. 



At the report of the guns the caribou on 

 the ground sprang up, and old Bazil, with con- 

 summate prevarication, said, "Oh! I missed it!" 

 Aimed again, let go the other barrel, and killed 

 this one also. 



The doctor was wild with delight at his suc- 

 cessful first shot, and expressed in many words 

 his pleasure to old Bazil, who took it all in 

 without a blush. 



The old guide, who was standing up back of 

 where the doctor fired, had taken no chance of 

 missing with his smooth bore, but fired point 

 blank at the deer's fore quarters. There was 

 found on examination a frightful wound, and 

 smashed bone; but the doctor was not versed 

 enough in woodcraft to distinguish if this had 

 been caused by a round bullet, and not the con- 

 ical one from his own rifle. 



The doctor was not a pot-hunter; he had 

 what he came for, and had got it in almost rec- 



