ioo HUNTING CAMPS. 



The wind was so strong that we were able to indulge in 

 a council of war as to whether I should shoot him, a course 

 which Jack strongly advised. However, in consideration 

 of the splendid stag I had already secured, which had looked 

 about half as large again as this one, I finally decided to 

 pass him, especially as he appeared to me to be a young 

 animal, despite his fine horns. We watched him for up- 

 wards of an hour, and once he was within sixty yards of us. 

 All I can say is that some day that stag will carry a head 

 worth travelling a long distance to obtain. 



At length we crept away and retraced our steps to the 

 big stag, and when we saw him again Jack agreed with me 

 that I had done well to leave the thirty-five pointer. Having 

 finished the skinning, we set out in the direction of camp, 

 but had not gone very far when we saw more deer to the 

 eastward. As before we stalked them, and as before we got 

 very near, only to find, however, that the best of them was 

 inferior to the young stag I had spared earlier. So we 

 started once again for camp. I do not think the recollection 

 of our walk of that evening will ever fade from my memory, 

 and I make no apology for endeavouring to call up the scene 

 before my reader's eye. It was one instinct with the spirit 

 of Nature as she reigns among the marshes and barrens of 

 Newfoundland. The wind was blowing out of a stormy 

 sunset, swaying the dwarfed trees, sweeping over the mo- 

 rasses, now red and sulphur yellow with their autumn tints, 

 and over isolated ridges of barren where dark crags stood 

 up among the reindeer moss. All around the circle of sight 

 companies of deer were moving, and as we doubled a curve 

 of wood one fine young stag with red horns caught wind of 

 us, bounded into the air with fear, and fled snorting ; then 

 for a moment he halted on the darkening sky-line, horns, 

 head, and great white mane outlined. We tramped on, 

 and soon the dusk fell, and presently through it we made 

 out the flame of the birch tree logs of our camp fire, and 



