TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 235 



telegraphed with my eyes a message to Cecily to ask 

 her if she would take on the job to add to our bag. 

 I felt I would much rather she missed the creature 

 than I. She smiled, and shook her head. 



I sent up silent prayers that it might be written in 

 my Kismet book that I should bring off the somewhat 

 difficult shot. I fixed the two hundred yards' sight, 

 and aimed for the side, the most vital part in my line 

 of vision. Then my nerves began to play me false, 

 and my rifle came down a trifle. This irritating 

 "buck-fever" is not unknown to quite experienced 

 shikaris, and comes, I think, from long inaction. In 

 these minor shoots there is so much tracking with so 

 little real excitement to become used to. At any rate, 

 I, personally, find it very different from shooting, or 

 trying for dangerous game, and I ascribe it to the 

 fact that in stalking game more than able to defend 

 itself the rigour of the chase is continuous, steady, 

 and uniform in daily excitements. All the same I 

 did not spare myself to myself, and the result was a 

 moment of supreme courage and confidence, and I 

 dropped my ram " in one." 



Before we made the smiling valley Cecily had added 

 a remarkably fine specimen of the black bear tribe, a 

 quaint-looking little creature, whose coat was in ex- 

 cellent condition considering the time of year, though 

 it was very short, but a good black. Cecily shot it 

 just as we entered the timber belt which had provided 

 us with firewood. 



At the base camp we found that Ralph and the 

 Leader had just come in too, as they were all but 



