138 HUNTING CAMPS. 



admirable stalk he killed two good stags, the better of 

 the two having finer tops than I have seen on a live 

 deer in Newfoundland. His success put us all in great 

 spirits that night, in spite of the unending rain which 

 continued to fall, as it had done for so many days, with 

 something of the volume of a thunderstorm, till it 

 seemed useless to hope for fine weather. For all that, 

 on the 8th the morning broke clear, and Jack, Sam, and 

 I started out early with three packs, intending to put in 

 the last three days' hunting from Selous' old camp on 

 John's Pond ; but though we set out in good time we 

 were not fated to arrive there, as some two hours later, 

 as we were carrying our outfit over the barrens, we came 

 to a high, bald knoll, from the top of which we spied 

 three does passing through a wood a mile away. As it 

 seemed likely they would be accompanied by a stag, 

 we put down our packs, and, leaving them with Sam, 

 Jack and I started in pursuit. When we sighted them 

 the does were moving at a fast walk, so we made a 

 long circuit behind a ridge in order to head them off. 

 As soon as we turned up wind and ascended the ridge 

 we saw the white stern of one of them in a thick wood, 

 and presently I thought I caught a glimpse of the top 

 of an antler, but could not make quite sure. All 

 the animals were moving, and as it was impossible 

 to see more than ten yards in the thick growth we 

 set off as rapidly and silently as might be to a spot 

 ahead of the deer, where the wood seemed to be less 

 dense. 



Owing to the nature of the country and the continual 

 necessity of fording streams and crossing flooded 

 marshes, we were both hunting in sealskin boots, which 

 are made by the Eskimo of the Labrador Peninsula. 



