328 SHORT STALKS 



appecared on the sky-line, followed by another and another, 

 till there were seven of them. That was my first sight of 

 wild reindeer. I was eager to start in pursuit, but Tostin 

 declared that these deer were too distant to reach that 

 day, so we proceeded in the same way as before, alternately 

 walking and smoking pipes on rocks, the while taking no 

 particular ol)servation, but leaving everything to the dog. 

 1 had no great expectations, and therefore was not dis- 

 appointed that, for a long time, nothing came of it. 



We were sitting down for the twentieth time to shelter 

 ourselves from a passing showier, " Barfod " was lying in his 

 favourite position with his head between his paws watch- 

 ing his master's face, when suddenly he jumped up, ran a 

 few steps towards the wind, sat down on his haunches, 

 and eagerly snuffed the air, his hair on end, and his whole 

 body trembling with excitement. There was evidently 

 something up, and Tostin assured me that it certainly 

 meant deer. I lowered my voice, fancying that the dog- 

 would not show so much excitement unless the herd were 

 close at hand, but this was a very needless precaution. 

 " Barfod " was called in and tied to a cord, which his master 

 held in a tight grasp. He paused once or twice turning 

 his head about. Then, as though he had made up his mind 

 about the rioht direction, he bounded on, tugoino; at the 

 string. Vie followed as fast as we could walk, along an 

 almost level snow gully. Several ridges were topped with- 

 out seeing anything, till at last I began to get very much 

 l)lo\vn, and to think the dog was humbugging us, for it 

 was difficult to believe that he had winded anything at 

 such a distance. After runnino' and walkino- for three- 

 quarters of an hour, and covering, I should suppose, fully 



