CARIBOO HUNTING. 155 



briskly, and occasionally breaking into a trot. Most 

 probably they had been started by the rest of the party 

 in the woods to the southward. One of them was of a 

 very light colour — the lightest, I think, I ever saw — 

 being of a pale, tawny hue all over ; the others were, as 

 usual, dull grey, variegated with dingy white. Sport 

 must have fallen to the lot of anyone who had remained 

 concealed in some central thicket on the barren this 

 afternoon, from the number that must have passed at 

 different times, as appeared by their tracks. Though it 

 was still early in December we had only as yet seen one 

 buck who retained his horns ; the does still wore theirs. 

 The one I had just killed had an exceedingly neat little 

 pair, which, but for her untimely end, would have graced 

 her until the ensuing March. 



On return to camp, I found that my friend had not 

 been so fortunate ; they had not been able to discover 

 the wounded cariboo, and had started two herds without 

 getting a shot. This was owing to the frozen state of 

 the snow in the woods. We had determined to exchange 

 Indians next morning ; but, in consequence of his not 

 yet having had success, I agreed to start again Avith the 

 second hunter, Noel, and leave to my friend the undis- 

 turbed possession of the barrens, my direction being the 

 Buctegun plains, which were distant some eight miles or 

 so to the westward. Noel, of course, ate until he could 

 eat no more that night — in fact, I never saw such 

 gluttony as was displayed by this Indian whenever he 

 got a chance. The settler s wife had told me, a few days 

 since, that he made a common practice of going into one 

 house after another along the road, and at each represent- 

 ing himself as starving. His appearance not generally 



