Caribou -Hunting. 23 1 



" No, scared pretty bad ; stair listenin' somewheres. By t'unders ! 

 — look, you see 'im caribou move on small bushes right on lake — 

 fire!" 



" Blaze away, Sebatis. I don't see them, and they will be off sure 

 if you wait for me." 



Bang ! goes his smooth-bore with a roar that made me as deaf 

 as an adder for the moment. 



"Did you kill him ?" 



" May be so. Not sure, you see, so much smoke." 



We hastened to the spot and found my caribou — a large buck 

 — lying dead in his tracks. A little further on, Sebatis found a 

 bloody trail leading down to the lake, and about one hundred yards 

 from the shore we saw the other caribou — a fine doe — vainly strug- 

 gling to regain her feet on our approach. 



At the sight, I vowed that I would break my gun and never hunt 

 again, until 



" Here, Sebatis, take my rifle and finish your work quickly." 



" How far is it to the camp?" 



" Little morn four miles. I go get tobaugan, an' bring some 

 dinner. S'pose you stop here?" 



"Yes. Be as quick as you can." 



" Sartin, I go pretty quick. You see snowin' again. By-em-by 

 heavy storm, may be." 



True to his promise, Sebatis returned inside of a couple of hours. 

 With appetites born of the woods, we dispatched our lunch. Then 

 to work to get our game to camp. The angry gusts of wind sough- 

 ing through the lofty branches of the fir-trees, and driving the fast- 

 falling snow into clouds of impalpable powder, warned us to hasten 

 our packing. 



" Ready, now, no time spare. By-em-by storm so heavy, hard 

 chance find 'im camp," said Sebatis. He had fastened one end of 

 a serviceable rope of withes to the tobaugan, passed part of it over 

 his shoulder and gave me the other end to pass over mine, and away 

 we tramped. 



These sudden winter storms possess the magic power of invest- 

 ing the hunter with an indefinable terror. In a very short time all 

 landmarks are obliterated and the air filled with a blinding powder. 

 Now and then the snow settles under him with a crash, and he feels 



