REINDEER 123 



me to get a shot at a fair range. They breasted 

 the mountain side, however, leaping the shale 

 heaps. I was therefore compelled to risk a 

 long shot, otherwise they would have escaped, as 

 the direction they took was not guarded. I 

 sighted for three hundred yards, and saw that 

 my bullet raised a small cloud of dust short of 

 them. This served but to hasten their flight. 

 Sighting higher and farther ahead of them 

 because of their speed and the distance, I tried 

 a second shot, and had the good fortune to 

 bring down the mother, who rolled down the 

 slope, whilst the fawn continued its flight. It 

 fell to my fourth bullet, my other three shots 

 having only grazed it. It is indeed difficult 

 to bring down an animal of the size of a fawn, 

 when running, at a distance of more than five 

 hundred yards. I cleaned the animals myself 

 while waiting the appearance of my companions, 

 who were tardy. The noise of the torrent had 

 prevented the Captain from hearing my shots. 

 His astonishment at finding me sitting beside the 

 two already cleaned deer was almost ludicrous. 

 As only one man now remained with us, 

 old Hermann, we sent him back to the ship with 

 the female deer, and instructed him to send 

 another man after us. We divided the ammuni- 

 tion, knapsacks and cameras, and then, leaving 



