160 CARIBOU SHOOTING IN NEWFOUNDLAND. 



trying to make out the direction they were aiming for 

 as they circled over the marsh; ' There's one awful 

 big one, with dandy horns,' said Le Buffe, as he came 

 down the tree like a streak of greased lightning and 

 beckoned me to follow him as* he ran down in the di- 

 rection of the caribou, keeping well under cover and 

 as near the edge of the marsh as possible till we got 

 about halfway to them. We then had to cut across 

 a small island in order to keep under cover and to 

 windward of them. I was panting for breath by the 

 time we got through the terrible thicket ; and there 

 in full sight, only about a hundred yards distant, 

 stood the whole flock in a bunch. ' Keep close to 

 the ground and try to get a shot at that big fellow 

 in the middle if you can,' whispered Le Buffe. I 

 wanted him badly, but he kept well in the centre of 

 the herd, as they moved uneasily around as if they 

 scented danger, and grouped in such a way that it 

 was hard to get a shot at him. Several times I was 

 on the point of pulling the trigger as he presented his 

 head and neck above the others. 'What do you 

 think?' said I to Le Buffe. 'Well, I would wait a bit: 

 don't shoot till you get a good chance at his shoulders.' 

 I was watching intently for that chance as the herd 

 kept moving about and gradually getting a little fur- 

 ther away from us, and I was getting extremely anx- 



