174 HUNTING CAMPS. 



fifty yards, I never caught a glimpse of them, and 

 finally at the cracking of a twig they made off with all 

 the honours of war, for their escape was chiefly due to 

 the strategical position in thick cover that they had 

 taken up. 



We had followed their tracks until we found that 

 the elk had crossed the Elstad boundary and sought 

 sanctuary in the lower pine forest beyond. We used all 

 that was left of the daylight in a barren search, at the 

 end of which only five hours of darkness remained of 

 the hunting season of 1905, and there was nothing for 

 us to do but to trudge home to the farm. 



As I walked behind Peder along the forest paths 

 I reviewed the closing season. On the eighteen elk- 

 rights which I had leased I had actually seen four bulls 

 and thirteen cows, as well as on three occasions a blur 

 of moving iron-grey coat to which I could not assign 

 a sex all things considered, a not inspiring total ; and 

 yet I am convinced that my rights were good and the 

 comparative absence of elk was due to the peculiarity 

 of the season, for the warm, fine weather had been 

 continuous and had lasted much longer than usual. 

 On this account the elk had lingered later than is 

 their custom on the edge of the high fjeld instead of, 

 as in ordinary years, seeking the shelter of the pine 

 forests. It was not until the last two days of the 

 hunting season that I found any in the lower woodlands, 

 that made up the greater proportion of my ground. 

 Had the weather been stormy the elk would probably 

 have descended to take refuge in the valleys at the 

 least a week earlier than actually happened in that 

 year. I have reason to believe that during the con- 

 cluding five days there were six elk on Elstad where 



