MIGRATION AT MILLAIS'S LAKE 69 



minutes I could see nothing, but on raising myself I saw his 

 broad chocolate-coloured back about loo yards off. He 

 was coming along all right. I lay perfectly still, and allowed 

 him to come mooning along to within ten yards, for I was 

 curious to see how near he would approach. At this dis- 

 tance I could see his big nose, twitching as it scented the 

 spoor of enticing females, and I was so near that I could 

 see his eye " catch " mine as I peeked at him from behind 

 the stone. In an instant his head flew up, and so did my 

 arms with the rifle. I pulled the trigger almost before the 

 weapon touched my shoulder, and immediately the great 

 beast was kicking on his back with a bullet through the 

 neck. 



"Ye didn't need no bullet for that 'un. Ye cud a' cut 

 'un down wid de axe," said a voice behind me. It certainly 

 shows how easily a stag may be obtained sometimes. 



The head was a large one, with unusually fine double 

 shovels in front and big bays, with many points. I do not 

 think points are of the greatest importance in a good caribou 

 head, and few would agree how many points this deer carried. 

 Newfoundlanders count every knob and excrescence, but, 

 following the old Scotch powder-horn test, which I think a 

 very fair one, it had thirty-five tines. This was much the 

 best head I secured, but not the largest. The deer was an 

 old stag, evidently going back, for the tops were poor and 

 almost pointless. 



Having now obtained all the heads we could carry, I 

 decided to leave next day for our standing camp above St. 

 John's Lake, and, in a weak moment, said I could carry 

 the three caribou heads we had just killed, so as to save 

 the men an extra journey. Saunders and Wells each toted 

 about 80 lbs., whilst my load went about 60 lbs., and never 



