NEAR MIDDLE RIDGE. 135 



we were forced to retrace our steps almost to the 

 point from which we had started. Meantime, however, 

 the doe had lain down, and the stag was feeding some 

 two hundred yards behind her. Fortunately the two 

 were nearly in a line with a long, low bank of moss 

 which gave us a little shelter. The distance to the deer 

 was fully half a mile, every inch of which would have 

 to be covered by crawling. At length we arrived at 

 the very limit of the little bank of moss and found 

 ourselves confronted by a large bog-hole that lay 

 almost flush with the surface of the marsh. As we 

 paused here the stag approached the doe and prodded 

 her a couple of times with his horns. She at once rose 

 and ran about a hundred yards in our direction, when 

 she slowed to a walk. It was perfectly clear that if she 

 held upon her course she must soon come upon our 

 tracks by the flat rock, when she would at once make 

 off, taking the stag with her. We were therefore 

 obliged to attempt the open stalk. During its course 

 the rifle as well as ourselves became covered with black 

 slime, and I was sorry I had not that morning brought 

 the case ; but in a country which is broken up by woods 

 to a very great extent, as in Newfoundland, it is 

 impossible to carry the rifle in its cover without risking 

 the loss of an occasional quick shot. So by dint of 

 tying up the action of the Mannlicher in a pocket- 

 handkerchief I attempted to prevent any untoward 

 jamming accident. Luckily I was clad in brown 

 clothes, which harmonised with the colour of the 

 marsh, but Wells' dark coat was at times so much in 

 evidence that I was about to continue the stalk alone, 

 when the doe obviously made us out and sounded a 

 warning. The stag ran up beside her and stared in our 



