ON THE GANDER RIVER. 199 



was still more open, stretching away for thirty miles to the 

 rocky wall of Middle Ridge, 



In the afternoon Hardy and Bob Saunders took the south 

 bank, while I, with Jack Wells, hunted the line of ridges to 

 the north. We saw seventeen deer, but not one warrant- 

 able stag until we were back in camp. It was growing dark 

 when, about six hundred yards up-stream, a beautiful stag 

 appeared, and accompanied by two does began to cross the 

 river. I seized my rifle, and getting under cover of a line 

 of rocks commenced running towards the stag, but before 

 I had got far I slipped among the wet stones and came 

 heavily down upon my knee-cap. When I was able to 

 hobble along again, the stag had vanished. The light and 

 distance made it hard to judge of this stag at all accurately, 

 but I managed to get one good look with the telescope, and 

 I was certain that he had an excellent and rather curiously- 

 shaped pair of bays. 



It is this fact of the sudden appearance of a stag which 

 makes September hunting rather more difficult, and cer- 

 tainly more interesting. As the animals emerge from the 

 thickets, or as one catches sight of them through the trees, 

 it needs instant decision as to whether the head is what you 

 want to shoot, and, after that, quick shooting. Caribou 

 antlers are not easily judged, as they look very different 

 from different points of view. To be misled into shooting a 

 poor head is one of those mistakes for which a man can 

 never quite forgive himself. 



As an instance of the deceptive impression one may 

 gain, I remember a stag which I disturbed from a drogue 

 of spruces, and which I thought showed the best horns, 

 and with the greatest width between them, that I had ever 

 come across. I fired at once, before the stag disappeared, 

 but on reaching the trail found no trace of blood, even after 

 following for some distance. I was certain that I had badly 

 missed the chance of a lifetime. I made up my mind that 



