244 HUNTING CAMPS. 



so strong that after two or three calls we abandoned the 

 attempt. 



This first successful day seemed to have used up our 

 share of good fortune, for hunt as we would, neither Howard 

 nor I saw anything at all, while Ross and Ed came across 

 a couple of small stags not worth a bullet. 



At the time I was not particularly keen to shoot another 

 caribou, but wanted very much to fall in with a moose, 

 and, with this aim in view, I went out alone and spent a 

 good deal of time hunting in the green timber. One day, 

 when out with Ed, I heard some shots, and on returning 

 to camp, found that Howard had killed a splendid stag, 

 with horns that for length and beauty could scarcely be 

 equalled in that part of the country. He was hunting 

 with Ross and Gagnon, and all of them were watching a 

 savanne, when a herd of upwards of thirty caribou, in- 

 cluding no less than five stags, suddenly came out of the 

 woods. Of the five stags, two were far superior to the 

 rest, the one which Howard killed, and another, at which 

 Ross only just failed to get a shot, and which made off 

 into the dense woods. This latter had, they told me, a 

 very symmetrical head with one brow shovel at least, and 

 very nicely developed bays and tops. Both described it as 

 carrying quite as fine a head as the one Howard secured. 

 With any luck Ross should have had an excellent chance 

 of shooting this stag, but it was frightened off by the loud 

 untimely cries of triumph with which their French at- 

 tendant hailed the fall of the caribou killed by Howard. 



After this, I went out for two or three days without 

 gaining a glimpse of any deer, and none of the party were 

 more fortunate, so that we began to fear that the big stag 

 which they had seen must have moved off into another 

 district. At last, on the 3oth of September, Ed and I, 

 travelling to the farthest point from camp, found a hill- 

 side which was covered with moose-sign, and there on the 



