NORTHERN GAME TRAILS 347 



which we had cached many miles to the south. 

 The little crystal stars winked and sparkled out 

 of the cold inky sky and looked down over the 

 cruel, trackless land where the cold ate its way to 

 the heart of the densest thickets famine and 

 death stalked hand in hand. Sometimes the im- 

 placable starlight would pale and the sinister 

 spectral flames of the northern lights would go 

 dancing and wavering across the arch of sky, in 

 colors of thin elusive red, electric blue and violet. 

 Early morning found us zigzagging down the 

 mountainside, for the caribou were still loitering 

 on the higher slopes of the opposite hills. Riding 

 across the long stretch of willows that filled the 

 valley below, then fording a swift glacier stream, 

 we came to the foot of the mountain we were to 

 climb. Here we left the horses and proceeded 

 to make a careful stalk, which proved to be rather 

 a lengthy matter, as there was no cover and a 

 hard crust having formed over the snow during 

 the night made the going both wearisome and 

 noisy. An hour of difficult climbing brought us 

 within two hundred yards of the animals. There 

 were several cows and a large bull together, while 

 off to one side were two lesser bulls. The two 

 smaller ones had sighted and were eyeing us with 

 distrust and curiosity. Not getting our wind, 



