IN TIMBER AND BRULfcE. 251 



on the other side of the savanne. Half-a-dozen does 

 were galloping wildly round, but they all made off as 

 Ed came out from among the trees. It appeared that, 

 as I fired at my stag, he had perceived the second herd 

 of caribou, and slipping along the ridge, got in a shot at 

 the master-stag at three hundred yards. The stag, not 

 knowing where the bullet that struck him came from, 

 ran in towards Ed, who fired at him again as he 

 galloped, hitting him twice, and bringing him down. 

 All the shots were long, and rendered difficult by the 

 bush through which the stag was moving. 



The head had fine tops and bays, and was beautifully 

 palmated, and of quite a different type to my rugged 

 specimen. Curiously enough, we each preferred the 

 other's trophy. This did not, however, prevent our 

 feeling to the fullest that sense of satisfaction resulting 

 from success ; which is one of the few joys that has 

 absolutely no reaction. 



In the evening, as we walked back to camp with our 

 trophies, we saw no less than thirty-two does, but only 

 a single stag, a small one, which, of course, we left in 

 peace. 



Having made so lucky a start, and having by the 

 terms of our licence only the right to shoot one more 

 stag apiece, we now, as was to be expected, at once set 

 our standard very high, a fact to which a fine stag 

 which we sighted next day probably owed his continued 

 lease of life. This stag we spied from the First Look- 

 out, and we were close enough to him to inspect his 

 head almost point by point. He was warrantable, but 

 lame of the off fore-leg, a circumstance that may have 

 caused his horns to deteriorate, for although he carried 

 twenty-two or more points, he seemed to be deficient 



