A FALL HUNTING TRIP. 109 



the really fine stags are very rare, one in a hundred or so. 

 Cold, cloudy weather. All this time, although I have seen 

 so many deer, I have observed practically nothing else on 

 the barrens. Only one fox and one willow-grouse." 



The next day, the 4th of November, was my last full 

 hunting day, as I wished to catch the next fortnightly 

 mail to England. Jack Wells and I made a start in the rain 

 long before it was light enough to see. I had decided to 

 hunt the country on the southern side of the lake, which 

 we had spied from across the lake on the previous day. 

 Although the telescope had not shown much of the kind 

 of ground which the stags at that season seemed to prefer, 

 I fancied that the caribou, after passing through the woods 

 near the lake, might be found travelling across the open 

 marshes ; and in this supposition we shortly proved that 

 we were not mistaken. To quote Jack Wells, the country 

 was " fair tore up " with deer-paths, and as soon as it 

 became light we began to see deer in small parties, all 

 heading west over the marsh. 



During the morning and afternoon we sighted six 

 stags, all distinctly shootable beasts, but none with a head 

 as good as the poorest of the last three, which I had shot. 

 Indeed, it was not until within an hour of sundown, and 

 when we were many miles west of the camp, that we saw 

 through the telescope a stag that appeared to both of us 

 to carry excellent horns. But the difficulty of judging a 

 living caribou's head was brought home to me once more 

 on this occasion. I first spied it at a distance of about 

 five hundred yards, and through the glass it struck me as 

 being most generously palmated, for we were not able to 

 see daylight between brows and bays. 



The stalk was a long and interesting one, made some- 

 what difficult by the direction of the wind and several 

 very watchful does. I at length reached a spot within 

 one hundred yards of the stag, which was lying down 



