248 HUNTING CAMPS. 



valley, through which a dark and slow-moving river 

 wound its way, lost itself in a reedy dead-water in the 

 middle distance and, emerging, flowed away to the 

 north-east. 



We stood on the rocky back-bone of the hill, with a 

 view of a couple of miles, an ideal place for spying, and 

 soon both glasses were at work. At first the wide vista 

 seemed tenantless, but after half an hour I saw some- 

 thing move, found it again with my telescope, and 

 made out a doe caribou advancing up a savanne about 

 half a mile away. Seven does soon appeared, following 

 the first, and then a stag, obviously young ; lastly, the 

 tops of a pair of large horns slowly rising until the 

 whole body of the stag was visible. I pointed him out 

 to Ed, who observed delightedly that he was better 

 than the one-horned fellow, and " Will we be getting 

 after him ? " The question needed no answer. We 

 slipped over the open rock unobserved and commenced 

 to run down the fissure on the farther side. As we did 

 so I felt Ed's hand catch my shoulder. " Look there ! 

 there upon the hill ! " he whispered. 



I looked, and I do not think I have seen a more 

 splendid sight. Down the steep slope on the opposite 

 side no less than eighteen caribou were galloping. At 

 first I thought something must have frightened them. 

 But no, evidently they had seen their friends in the 

 valley and were rushing down to them, or, I should say, 

 the does were endeavouring to do so, for on the out- 

 skirts of the herd a great, heavy-bodied stag, whose 

 horns seemed to touch his flanks, was struggling to 

 check the revolt of his harem. But no sooner had the 

 eighteen reached the level ground in the gut of the 

 valley than the leading doe slowed to a walk. The 



