NEAR MIDDLE RIDGE. 115 



when Simon had been hunting, so that his presence augured 

 that the migration had begun and that we might expect 

 the main body of stags at no distant date. The next day, 

 the 2ist of October, was the opening day of the second 

 season, and Wynyard and I, accompanied by Jack Wells, 

 were off early. The weather was beautiful, and even rather 

 warm. Before long we reached the series of high barrens 

 above Millais Lake, and here we were destined to witness 

 a really fine spectacle. 



We were lying behind some spruces watching three 

 stags, one with well-developed bays, that we had stalked, 

 when an old stag, with a band of does following him, came 

 up out of the Island Pond woods. Immediately they ap- 

 peared in view the stag with the large bays galloped out 

 across the marsh, challenging the newcomer. The master 

 stag of the harem was nothing loth to try conclusions, and 

 advanced at once to the combat. Both animals uttered 

 a kind of coughing grunt as they closed, and were soon 

 hard at it, clashing their antlers together, measuring their 

 strength as they twisted and strained in the struggle to 

 push each other backwards. The battle lasted some min- 

 utes, the stags engaging and disengaging more than once, 

 as they were very equally matched. It was really a mag- 

 nificent sight, and we were able to enjoy it at no greater 

 distance than one hundred and fifty yards. The does 

 seemed to take a very lukewarm interest in the fight ; some 

 of them went on feeding with indifference, and two or 

 three strayed off tov/ards the other two stags, who main- 

 tained a pointedly detached position afar. Wynyard and I 

 wanted to bet on the result of the battle, but as both of us 

 fancied the chances of the same stag the idea fell through. 



The old stag, on whose antlers I thought I could make 

 out twenty-one points, was a very heavy animal, exceed- 

 ingly light in colour, while his opponent was markedly 

 darker and certainly possessed the finer head. At length, 



