A POLAR IDYL. 177 



to scale the drift was no more successful than the first, and 

 again it came rolling down. It cried piteously, just like a baby 

 when it is very unhappy. I felt so sorry for it that I was just 

 starting to help it up the drift when suddenly it occurred to me 

 that the old cow might misinterpret my motives, and what then ? 

 I might risk a battle with her, and it would be a pity perhaps to 

 have to shoot her in self-defence. I decided to remain where I 

 was, and await the turn of events. 



At last the mother heard the cries of distress, and came tearing 

 down the hillside, the snow flying behind her. Heaven help the 

 person who had meddled with her calf then ! She would have 

 made it hot for him. It was both amusing and touching to see 

 the two together. The mother caressed the calf as if to comfort 

 it, sniffed it all over to see if it was still whole, gave it a push now 

 and again, and then started gently up the drift ; but not the way 

 the calf had gone in following the herd : she carefully chose an 

 easier and less steep way. 



When she had got it across the drift she ran a few steps 

 forward, not very fast, but too quickly, at any rate, for the calf to 

 follow her. Then she turned back and pushed it from behind with 

 her muzzle, so that it went a little faster. Again she ran a few 

 yards forward, but still the poor little thing could not keep up 

 with her, and she returned to her old pushing methods. So they 

 went on all the way up until they reached the square. Then she 

 took her place in it, and the calf crept under her, and was entirely 

 hidden from sight by her long hair. 



This was on April 27. We had earlier passed many herds 

 with cows in calf among them, and had also shot some with well- 

 developed foetuses. In this herd there was only one cow with a 

 calf, and it was probably about twenty-four hours old. All the 

 other cows were in calf. 



I continued on my way northward, and soon came down into 

 a very deep canon, the decline of which, near where I was, was 

 gradual, without precipices or abrupt falls. But it was narrow 

 not more than fifty feet wide with perpendicular walls on both 

 sides. It made short sharp turns to right and left, and at every 

 turn the walls overlapped so that the valley appeared to be closed 

 VOL. II. N 



