234 NEWFOUNDLAND 



of blue smoke hung, and we were soon at work with knife and 

 fork. It is wonderful what meat will do. We were all dog- 

 tired, but in half-an-hour after a eood meal we were all in- 

 spirited and refreshed. Saunders had done wonders for a man 

 of fifty-nine. Of course he had carried his pack quite in the 

 wrong way, the 70 lbs. being all on the back of his neck 

 instead of being properly distributed. He had fallen twice 

 to the ground from sheer exhaustion, but his indomitable 

 spirit had carried him along where a more skilful and less 

 plucky individual would have lagged behind or given in. 



After a good night, during which the men slept without 

 shelter by the fireside, we continued our journey down the 

 Gander, which was now developing into a good-sized brook 

 with several deep " steadies." In one of these Joe pointed 

 out a colony of beavers which had lived there unmolested for 

 the past six years. After walking steadily from 7 till 10 we 

 encountered the first large " droke " of birch, and far along in 

 the distance, to the east, could see the commencement of more 

 green woods. Signs of deer now became more frequent, and 

 we kept a sharp look-out. When packing, the usual plan is 

 to walk in line steadily for half-an-hour, and then to take a 

 short rest. During one of these "spells," as they are called, 

 Martin again made an excellent "spy," noticing the head 

 of a stag sticking out of a peat bog about 600 yards 

 above us. 



It was now McGaw's turn for a shot, and as the wind was 

 right he got within 200 yards of the deer without difficulty. 

 Here Joe, who could not sit still and see another do a stalk, 

 joined us, and so getting some rocks in between ourselves 

 and the quarry we advanced to within 100 yards, where 

 a suitable spot to shoot from offered itself My friend 

 then fired at the stag, which was now on his legs, feeding 



