HUNTING A CHRISTMAS DINNER. 359 



rewarded by the sight of a broad patch of blood. Not only 

 that, but a few hundred yards further, a turn round a high 

 bank brought me all at once within full view of the object of 

 my chase. With her yellow back up, her dark-maned neck 

 hanging low, and her tongue lolling, the great elk was hobbling 

 painfully along; and, though at sight of me she quickened her 

 pace for a while, I felt she must now be mine. There was no 

 covert of any moment within her reach, and in less than 

 another half-mile I had brought her to bay in a small bunch 

 of willows. She was done to a turn, and to tell the truth 

 Smoke was almost in the same plight. Gladly he stood, with 

 legs outstretched, and sides heaving under his woolly and 

 dripping coat, while I clambered off, revolver in hand, holding 

 my hard-earned prey safe at last. A bullet through the head 

 secured her safer still ; and another shot into the air helped to 

 guide Bronson to the scene of action. Forty minutes without 

 a check ; a kill ; and a Christmas dinner. Not a bad day's sport 

 for the prairies ! 



But the work of the day was not nearly over yet. Here we 

 were, fully seven miles from camp, ten more from home, and 

 sternly determined neither to sleep out nor to lose any of our 

 precious meat. Bronson was, fortunately, a most accomplished 

 butcher, and had served a time at skinning buffalo, while 

 buffalo were still in the land. We each possessed a good knife, 

 and the barrel of his Winchester, if it wouldn't shoot, at least 

 acted very well in lieu of a steel. So the comely hide was 

 readily whipped off, feet and head and all encumbrance 

 removed ; but still the great body was heavier than our united 

 efforts could avail to raise. Fortune again favoured us, in the 

 fact that neither of our ponies was to be frightened at the smell 

 of blood. By efforts almost superhuman we contrived to sever 

 the strong backbone, and thus to divide the big deer in two. 

 On one saddle we set the fore-quarters, with the skin covering 

 them and drooping over the horse's loins, while the enormous 

 ears and black mane surmounted the whole, and gave the figure 

 a most weird appearance. On the other we perched the hind- 



