158 HUNTING CAMPS. 



somersault, clean head over heels like a gigantic rabbit, 

 and lay still upon the further side of a little patch of 

 trees. I ran round to get a clearer view, or rather a 

 view at all, for the elk was now entirely hidden. But no 

 sooner did I catch sight of him than with a grunt and a 

 crashing of sticks he pulled himself to his feet and 

 began to make off through the dense wood. 



Meantime my rifle had jammed with some pine- 

 needles which had clogged the action, but just as the 

 cartridge was released the bull turned and crossed my 

 front some hundred and twenty yards away, giving me a 

 fair chance. Owing to the excitement of the moment, as 

 well as the fear that the elk would vanish into the thick 

 timber, I shot too quickly and without making due allow- 

 ance for the nature of the ground, which fell away at a 

 sharp angle ; thus, to the best of my belief, the bullet 

 passed over the elk without touching him. Still I 

 thought it possible that the elk would not go far, and 

 we followed his trail and discovered some blood spoor. 

 Bismarck was beside himself with excitement, straining 

 at his harness and yelping. After a while we reached 

 some harder ground and lost five minutes, for Bismarck 

 took us off on the trail of one of the startled cows. 



From this we came back and picked up the bull's 

 trail again. It led away downhill, then the elk had 

 turned at a sharp angle, and begun to ascend the 

 mountain side once more. Meanwhile the rain was 

 slashing down upon us from the sky and pouring in 

 streams from the trees. It was clear from the trail that 

 as he neared the top of the hill the elk had slowed 

 down, unable to keep up the fierce pace of the start. 

 So, too, alas ! had we. Running up a Norsk mountain- 

 side through forest at top speed is a feat beyond even 



