206 NEWFOUNDLAND 



appeared satisfied and proceeded, and so were we. He 

 was now out of sight, and we rushed the canoe in for a 

 point where I knew our quarry would shortly come. McGaw, 

 who was watching the stalk from the lake, said that imme- 

 diately we disappeared the stag started at full gallop" for the 

 point where we met, much to my surprise, a moment later. 

 I could just see his head and horns as he peeped at me 

 from behind a tangle of fallen timber, and, knowing that 

 no better chance would offer, fired at once. The bullet cut 

 a wisp of hair from the stag's chin, and he made off up the 

 shore at full speed. I now ran to the point and lay down, 

 expecting him to stand before taking the woods. It was 

 as I hoped, and he slowly swung round at 150 yards and 

 gazed back before disappearing. The moment he stopped, 

 I fired and broke his spine. He was dead before we got 

 up to him. Pleasure was written in every countenance as 

 the canoes assembled, for we had meat now to last us for 

 a week at least, and meat means strength to man. The stag 

 carried a pretty head of twenty-five points, but the horns 

 were not large, so we did not take them. 



The wind was rising fast, so, after loading the canoes 

 with all the meat we could carry, we proceeded, with some 

 difficulty, to the northern shore of the lake, where McGaw 

 and I went ashore for a walk, the boats following us. Here 

 we found three good outbreaks of raw petroleum. Some- 

 thing might be made of these wells, as well as the fine chrome 

 iron deposits which we saw later at Pipestone, were it not 

 for the difficulty of transport. At noon we entered a beautiful 

 "steady," and, after halting for the midday meal, we journeyed 

 on northwards up an unnamed small lake, which we called 

 Northern Diver Lake, from the numerous birds of this species 

 that frequented its waters. At one place we cornered four 



