132 NEWFOUNDLAND 



face. Then she took a pace or two up stream, shook her 

 head, ran a couple of yards, pretending to be frightened, and 

 then seeing the fearsome object did not move, came back 

 and smelt her way forwards. She was within three yards 

 now, but working two yards to the right down stream, at 

 once got the wind, and went off, sending the water flying in 

 all directions. In two minutes she was out of sight, and I 

 could hear her breaking through the forest up to the hills. 



In another minute I resumed my book, and had hardly 

 done so, when the sound of dropping water caused me to 

 turn my head sharply and look up stream. There stood 

 a very large stag, in the act of drinking, about lOO 

 yards away. The sudden movement of turning to grasp 

 my rifle did not escape his eye, and at once he was in a 

 position of tense alertness. Slowly I put the bead on his 

 heart and pressed the trigger. He scarcely winced, but, 

 jumping out on to the stones, dashed away at full gallop. I 

 was about to fire again, when it occurred to me that my shot 

 was a fatal one, because he was going just a bit too fast 

 for an unwounded beast. This conjecture was strengthened 

 when I saw him shaking his head, a sure sign of a fatal 

 blow. The next instant he wheeled round suddenly towards 

 the river, and running along a ledge of rocks, bounded into 

 the air, and fell dead in the stream. 



So rapid was his descent into the river and blind the 

 final plunge, that he broke his shovel, knocking off five points, 

 as well as smashing his skull and lower jaw. A noble fellow 

 with a massive head, but without many points. When the 

 men came, we took his entire skin and head, and as much 

 meat as we could carry, and made camp. 



This ended our hunting for the year, and perhaps the 

 most successful shooting trip I have engaged in. It took 



