IIF.INDEKIJ STALKING 335 



night's (jiiarters. b'^r j^iart of the time tliey lay, a]»])arently 

 fast aslec}), but we (H)iihl not presume u])on tliat. I never 

 yet could (h'terniinc lo my own satisfact i(»n wJicther deer 

 close their eyes when ihcy sleep. If we arc to helieve our 

 old fViend Poiitoppidau it would not niudi uiatfci- in (lie 

 case of the reindeer, us, accordinu' to liim. the\- lia\-e a 

 hole ill their e}'elids, for use in a snowstorm. 



It was iiearlv six o'clock before they rose and 

 fed towards more uneven o-round. We crawled fifty 

 yards nearer, and waited aeain. Farther ihaii that 

 we dared nut g(j, until, one b}' one, they disappeared 

 behind a shelf of rock. AVe jumped uj), and ran down 

 tile hill ;is hard as we couhl, and t»-ot within rano-e 

 before they reappeared. Kenny had the first shot, wliieh 

 was successful in bringing up one deer, and 1 managed to 

 knock over a second. The stalk had lasted from lirst to 

 last seven hours ; it was a six miles' walk over heather 

 and bi'ij- lo the sa-fcr. and it was (luite dark lonii' hefore 

 we reached it. We didn't expect grand things at llolbue, 

 as the tiny settlement was called, but were rather aghast 

 when we found how very limit e(l were both board and 

 lodnino". We tried several safcfs afterwards, but a 

 description of this one will suffice for all, though I confess 

 that it was not one of the best specimens of its class. 

 There was a little den about ten feet b\' six, built of rou"h 

 stones the chinks of which were .-^tuiled with moss, and 

 about a third of this space was taken up by the shelf on 

 which the girl slept, and the fire|ilace and co})per for 

 cheese-making. The two men who IkkI broiighl our 

 luggage and the sdh r piije seemed to till the a\ailalile 

 standing room, and I am convinced that, with the whole 



