AN ELK SEASON. 169 



advance, lest the elk, which we were now pretty sure 

 was not far off, should, as is the frequent habit of these 

 animals, have lain down to windward of his own trail. 

 It was most fortunate that we did take this precaution, 

 for in a very few minutes Peder turned upon me a face 

 literally white with excitement. " Bi-i-g bo-o-ol," he 

 whispered with a drawl of prodigious meaning on both 

 words. I peered over his shoulder and there, sure 

 enough, at a distance of not more than two hundred 

 yards below us, I at last saw the heavy dark head, 

 bulged nose, and large palmated antlers of a truly big 

 bull. The rest of his body was hidden by the thick 

 green of a bush, as were also, I discovered later, a cow 

 and two calves, the companions of the bull. 



While Peder remained behind with Bismarck I 

 cautiously stalked the elk, my heart thumping against 

 my ribs, for one may go many seasons to Norway and 

 not meet with such horns as it seemed to me this bull 

 carried. The wind was exactly right, my way lay 

 across moss, and altogether it appeared that fortune, 

 who seldom does things by halves, was indeed in a 

 generous mood. About a hundred and twenty yards 

 away I settled for my shot, and just before I took it, 

 looking back I was aware of Peder 's face, paler than 

 ever, peeping above a rock ; his hands 1 did not see, but 

 well I knew how they were occupied and that Bismarck 

 would not give tongue till the critical moment was 

 over. 



I paused a moment to steady myself before drawing 

 the trigger, and could see the transient gleams of sun- 

 shine upon the white birch trunks springing from their 

 bed of green moss and the bronze and gold of wild 

 raspberry leaves that shone in the duller background. 



