AN ELK SEASON. 163 



unsteady breeze it was impossible to locate the elk 

 immediately, we sat down to give Bismarck time to 

 investigate and to think it out. He settled very quietly 

 on his haunches, the thick white and grey hair on his 

 neck bristling a little, and the muscles of his nose 

 twitching and working. At first the airs were light, 

 but presently followed a stronger gust, at which 

 Bismarck rose and began to lead away resolutely nearly 

 up-wind, under a sky already darkening for storm. 



Peder, of course, whispered great expectations in his 

 broken words, and sincerely I hoped that this time they 

 would be justified by events, though to tell the truth I 

 was doubtful, for the hound's nose was so extraordinarily 

 fine that he had often led us a mile to an elk-trail, and 

 I feared that in the present instance history might once 

 again repeat itself. However, I was happily disappointed, 

 for at the end of half an hour I caught a glimpse of the 

 hindquarters of an elk, the rest of the body being 

 screened from sight by some trees. It was impossible 

 to tell whether it was a bull or no, but while we crept 

 round in hopes of getting a view of the head Bismarck 

 broke into a whine, and the long-sought elk was skrcemt 

 and making off at full speed through the wood. Peder 

 suppressed Bismarck in a definite though momentary 

 manner with the lunch-bag just as I commenced run- 

 ning to cut off the elk. Some half-way up the hillside 

 I sighted the animals, two of them a bull and a cow. 

 The cow dashed on, but before the bull could follow her 

 1 took as steady an aim as I was capable of after my run 

 and thought I heard the bullet strike. On the shot, as 

 do all but the best elk- hounds, Bismarck broke into a 

 series of excited yaps. 



By this time the bull had dashed in among some 



M 2 



