180 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



Altogether we had a delightful day. "We camped 

 at night in a forester's cottage, and, after a hearty 

 supper of fried trout, new milk, and some of the 

 very best potatoes I ever ate in my life, we threw 

 ourselves down on a bed of new hay spread for 

 us on the floor. In a few minutes I was dream- 

 ing of "flood and fell." 



We set out next morning on the track of 

 the elk, and it was not long before we came on 

 fresh " spoor." This we followed up in a body, 

 instead of making a bend on each side, as we 

 should have done, and thus trying to head ^the 

 elk. The consequence was that they went on ; 

 and, after a tiring walk of about twelve miles 

 through the forest, every now and then rising 

 game which we could not fire at, we had the 

 disappointment of finding that the elk had 

 doubled back and returned to their old quarters 

 from whence we had driven them in the mornincr. 



o 



The herd consisted of a bull and cow. I did not 

 see them, but they passed within shot of one of 

 the wood-watchers who had no gun. The day 

 was now far spent, and, as we were six miles from 

 home, we left the forest at sundown. I never 

 remember so beautiful a night, for, as we rowed 

 across the large lake, the moon was just rising 

 over the top of the forest, and the northern 

 heaven was in a blaze with flashes of the aurora 



