AN ELK SEASON. 177 



exist it can hardly be doubted that the snow which 

 periodically blots out much of the northern world covers 

 also the traces of the Lapp poacher's shot as well as 

 the Lapshoe trail of the man whose finger touches the 

 trigger. 



So the season ended for us, and on the following 



morning a small procession of carioles followed each 



other down the deep descent from the skyds station, 



we bade a regretful farewell to our Norwegian friends, 



and set out through the sombre forests on our way 



home. The gloom of the pines was now emblazoned 



with the autumn gold of the alders shivering in the 



cold wind ; the soft green of the mosses and ferns and 



tall rustling plants were touched by frost to fiercer 



colours all was changed, the country no longer looked 



as we had seen it in August. There were five of us, 



accompanied by Kristian and his son, with sundry 



cariole boys. At a farm on the way we heard with 



some envy of a recently-killed bear, but the only other 



incident of the long, cold drive occurred on the forest 



road within half a mile of the hotel on the beach of the 



Snaasenvand a large capercailzie cock, disturbed by 



the passing of the foremost cariole, flew out of the trees, 



turned up the road, and skimmed so close above my 



head that I only missed him by a matter of inches 



when I struck at him with the whip-butt. After 



spending the night at the hotel, where we dined oft 



seven different kinds of cheese, we found our way by 



motor-boat and cariole to the Trondjhem Fjord, and 



thence by steamer to the ancient capital of the Vikings, 



where at that period the population were wildly excited 



over the question of the separation from Sweden, which 



has since become an historical fact. 



H.C. x 



