210 SPORT IN NEWFOUNDLAND 



It was only about three miles to the crest of 

 the ridge, and the country being dry the going 

 was good. There were many small swamps and 

 ponds along the side of the hill with small 

 drokes in the hollows, altogether ideal ground 

 for stags. There were not many fresh tracks, 

 though the deep ruts cut by the hoofs of in- 

 numerable herds of deer showed what numbers 

 must pass later on in the season. 



On reaching the top of the ridge we looked 

 over a vast undulating tract of country, the 

 true barrens. There were only three drokes 

 in sight. One about four miles away, which 

 Steve pointed out to me as Shoe Hill Droke, 

 where Millais camped and from which he got 

 such fine heads in October ; nearer still another 

 droke where Captain Legge had camped two 

 years before and from which he got a forty- 

 pointer; in fact, I was looking over historic 

 ground from a sporting point of view, and there 

 seemed no reasons why I should not be as 

 successful as those who had gone before me. 



There were neither stags nor does in sight, 

 and no fresh tracks. Steve said they would 

 not move up to the barrens before the 15th 

 or 20th of September. It made me bitterly 

 regret I was so cramped for time, and that I 

 had to be back to catch the Glencoe at Belleoram 

 on September 26th. It is the greatest mistake 



