THE ELK 11. 1 



l)ut I tliiiik tliov wcro, ovoii wiMcr lli.in tlic lli'-i. We 

 l;iiul('<l. and I laiil Tiiiui) (111. lie raciMl down tlic island, 

 I'oL' il was not tlic mainland. Iml was di\idcd fiian it l>y 

 another much narrower cliaiincl, aiul stood harkin^' al \]\v 

 othov ond wlicro the dk had aLTaiii taken tlu^ \vatoi'. Il 

 was pretty clear tliat J had not hurt him. This was one 

 of lliosc calamities wlddi li\-c 1)\- a man all his da\'s, and I'C- 



visit him in his dreams. j\lr. J had keen lyin^' in wait 



for this sliot all day, and here was l.wlio had neither 

 toiled nor s|)un, had di'»»[t[ii'(l in in the \'cr\' nick of lime, 

 got the shot and mi.ssed it. i humbled myscli' ljch)rc him, 

 ami was forgiven. 



These large lakes are very convenient as liigliwavs 

 for reaching distant parts of the ground, hut when the 

 wind is strong it is sometimes impossihle foi- a Ixjat 

 to make wav ao-ainst it. I well I'cmcmlti r one wet 

 and stormy day, when for this reason we had to tramp 

 l)ack overland, and when the river was at length reached, 

 wholly failed lu make oursehcs heard in the farm on the 

 opposite bank. Even rifle shots produced no effect, till we 

 took to shooting af tltc house itself, and a well-planted 

 bullet on the stone chimney bi'ought a IVighteiieil face to 

 the door. 



xV few days after the failure on the lake the aa'onv was 

 still more excruciatin-'K- niled up. Fancv an eau'er \-ouih 

 panting with a long run. ITe reaches tln^ ed«_!;e of a steep 

 blutf and can hear the ba}' at some distance. Jhit at this 

 moment four othei- elk cross an opening below, and he 

 proceeds to stalk them. Jle gets wit hin i wo hundred yarils 

 of the ox, standing by himself, and li-icning intently to the 

 distant bii}' of t he dog. The youth, fearful of losing the shot 



