FURTHER DAYS. 243 



crest of the ridge ahead. These were quickly followed by 

 others ; they had been disturbed, no doubt, by the sound 

 of my shot. The does came running in our direction, and 

 were quite close to us, though still unconscious of our 

 presence, when a stag appeared. As he moved across at 

 about a hundred yards Ross fired, killing him instantly. 

 He proved to have a nice symmetrical head of twenty- 

 seven points. As the does fled, they ran almost over the 

 body of the first stag, which lent them new wings of fear, 

 so that they soon vanished among the trees. 



We were naturally very pleased with such a beginning 

 to our trip, and after removing the two heads and perform- 

 ing the usual rites, we went on. We had luck with us 

 that day, for within a mile we saw another stag on the 

 side of a hill opposite, about four hundred yards away. I 

 did not think he had a good head, but Ross and Ed were 

 of a different opinion, so while I remained where I was 

 they followed to make sure. After about half an hour 

 they returned, having obtained a much closer look at the 

 stag, which confirmed them in their estimation of the head, 

 at any rate to the extent that it showed better horns than 

 the stag already killed by Ross. But, unluckily, the animal 

 led them into a strip of green timber, where stalking became 

 very difficult, and they lost him. I blamed myself for this 

 disappointment, as, had I not depreciated the head, Ross 

 might have closed in with and shot the deer when he first 

 became visible. 



Although we hunted the rest of the day we met with 

 no more stags, and on returning to camp we found that 

 Howard had had a poor day. He had spent it, according 

 to Ed's and my advice, sitting on the top of the First Look- 

 out, and having seen from that point of vantage nothing 

 more interesting than an unlimited quantity of black fly, 

 but not a single deer. In the evening I went with Ed 

 down to the lake to try a moose-call, but the wind was 



