92 THE UPPER YUKON 



fence, and with one bound, started down the 

 road, and then swung to the left up a ridge. I 

 found him there, dead, and on opening him it 

 was seen that the bullet had passed directly 

 through the heart, tearing it all to pieces; yet 

 he had cleared the dead-fall, and run one hun- 

 dred and seventeen yards to where he was 

 found. 



So, after all, the two shots at the two cari- 

 bou had been well placed. Both bulls were 

 very fat. They were carrying a deep layer 

 of suet on their shoulders, as well as a con- 

 siderable quantity on their intestines. I 

 have been told that, during the mating sea- 

 son, the bulls do not eat a morsel of food, but 

 live on this generous accumulation of fat 

 which nature stores up for them. In other 

 words, they live upon their own tissues dur- 

 ing that time, which is divided in two equal 

 periods ; nine days of solicitation and nine days 

 of participation. 



It may be readily surmised that before we 

 had gotten the bulls skinned, dressed, and 

 fixed up where we could come for or send 

 after them the following day, the daylight 

 was nearly over. We hurried through the 

 snow, over the divide, and down the other 

 side into the canyon, where we found Char- 



