158 AN OLD-TIME CARIBOU HUNT 



vicinity, and was to join in the hunt and act as 

 guide at the same time. He told us that he had 

 seen many caribou and a few deer tracks recently, 

 so that we had high hopes for good sport next 

 day. The weather had been very cloudy all the 

 afternoon, and towards noon snow began to fall 

 with a light east wind, which gradually increased 

 to a gale during the night, and next morning 

 about fourteen inches of snow had fallen. 

 About ten a.m. it cleared up a little. Mr. 

 Hamel proposed a walk in the direction where he 

 had seen the latest fresh tracks. The under 

 brush was loaded with snow and the walking 

 was very soft. I had a large pair of broad Mon- 

 tagnais snowshoes (26 inches in width) and with 

 these I could get along tolerably well, but all the 

 rest of the party had the long and narrow shoe 

 and went a good deal deeper than I did. We 

 walked about two miles, seeing no tracks, and re- 

 turned to camp and thence to Mr. Methot's house, 

 there to await more favorable weather, leaving 

 orders with his men that if any of them saw deer 

 or caribou tracks they were to report to us im- 

 mediately. Some scattered settlers along the 

 lumber road were also advised to the same effect. 

 On our way back we saw many hares, a few of 

 which were shot with the rifle by Mr. Chinic. 

 Shortly after our tea, one of the farmers we had 

 notified, drove in. He reported that five or six 

 caribou had crossed his wood road late that after- 



