132 THE BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU 



frightened sheep, and that a man can walk in 

 among them at such times ; but this I have not 

 witnessed. The Caribou invariably feed up-wind, 

 as I have said, and travel overland through the 

 woods from lake to lake along chosen paths long 

 established. It is common about noon, when 

 the animals are resting after their morning feed, 

 to find Caribou out in the centre of a lake, lying 

 down or grouped about resting in the sunlight, 

 while the watchful old leader scans the open snows 

 on all sides, and sniffs the drifting wind. 



If you have found Caribou country in winter, 

 and can put up with intense cold, you will find 

 that the actual shooting of these animals is not 

 difficult. They are stupid animals once you 

 have frightened them with a shot, and if you 

 get within reasonable range of a band on a lake 

 you are certain to bag more than one of them, if 

 you are anxious to secure meat or particular 

 trophies, for if you bring down one with your first 

 shot, and run on when they run, the others will 

 almost certainly halt before they have gone far 

 to look back for their comrade or to make certain 

 where danger lies, and you will have opportunity 

 for further shots. To give an instance of this : 

 on one occasion a band of twelve Caribou came on 

 to the lake where my cabin stood. This was 

 bringing dog-feed to my very door if I could effect 

 a kill — and the distance you have to carry meat 

 from the point you kill to your camp is no incon- 

 siderable detail if time and labour and sled-dogs 

 are to be saved. Therefore I snatched up my 

 rifle and a handful of cartridges and eagerly gave 

 chase. Before long, by hard running and quick 



