112 HUNTING CAMPS. 



found travelling across the open marshes ; and in this 

 supposition we shortly proved that we were not mis- 

 taken. To quote Jack Wells, the country was " fair 

 tore up " with deer-paths, and as soon as it became light 

 we began to see deer in small parties, all heading west 

 over the marsh. 



During the morning and afternoon we sighted six 

 stags, all distinctly shootable beasts, but none with a head 

 as good as the poorest of the last three which I had shot. 

 Indeed, it was not until within an hour of sundown, and 

 when we were many miles west of the camp, that we 

 saw through the telescope a stag that appeared to both 

 of us to carry excellent horns. But the difficulty of 

 judging a living caribou's head was brought home to me 

 once more on this occasion. I first spied it at a distance 

 of about five hundred yards, and through the glass it 

 struck me as being most generously palmated, for we 

 were not able to see daylight between brows and bays. 



The stalk was a long and interesting one, made 

 somewhat difficult by the direction of the wind and 

 several very watchful does. I at length reached a spot 

 within one hundred yards of the stag, which was lying 

 down facing me. At this angle the head looked so 

 light that I decided not to shoot, and had already 

 rejoined Wells, when one of the does took fright and 

 ran off, followed by the stag. Broadside on, the horns 

 looked better than ever. I had put my rifle over at 

 safety, so that it took a moment or two to rectify this, 

 as well as to find a clear place among the cover through 

 which to shoot. 



By this time the stag was some two hundred yards 

 away, splashing across a marsh with the water flying all 

 round him. At the shot, however, to my delight he 



