244 NEWFOUNDLAND 



and an object worthy of the hunter's skill. In Canada I 

 have heard old hunters say that, next to the moose, the 

 caribou is the most difificult animal to kill in timber, and here 

 in Newfoundland the same animal that any boy could slay 

 in the last week of October will not be shot in mid-September 

 by tenderfeet with hobnailed boots. 



The day after McGaw left I moved camp a mile down 

 stream to a large birch droke, and saw a fine stag just as we 

 were building the lean-to. By running in I got within 200 

 yards, and had just time to put the glass upon his head, and 

 see that he was not good enough. Next morning we were early 

 astir, and whilst preparing for the day's hunt, I sent Joe up 

 a high larch-tree at the back of the camp to view the ground. 

 He had departed about five minutes, when I saw him again 

 descending the tree, so I knew he had seen something. A 

 moment afterwards he ran up to say that a stag with very 

 fine horns had just appeared for a second as it fed along 

 among the trees about 400 yards away. As the wind was 

 right, coming from the north, we circled away from the camp to 

 marshy ground, to make less noise, and so advanced through 

 the trees in the direction which Joe indicated. 



" It was just there he was," whispered my companion, as 

 he pointed to the blackened spoor caused by the impress of 

 the cutting hoofs. We stood perfectly still for five minutes, 

 as the wind had dropped, and showed signs of being shifty, 

 and then, hearing nothing, moved cautiously forward in circles 

 on to a high stony mound from which a better view could 

 be obtained. We were just leaving this, when I happened to 

 glance behind me, and at once detected a small snow-white 

 spot amongst the trees. Almost immediately it disappeared, 

 and I knew that it must be the stag coming back on its own 

 spoor, A retreat was therefore necessary, as the wind was 



