REINDEER STALKINC 3 11 



seen tlie tracks of lour Jargi' deer wliidi he believed 

 to be bucks (tlu>y turned dut ;iff(M'w;irds to l)c ww old 

 hinds) whicli had o-onc u|> into a small \alle\', t'roni 

 which there was no exit, but tliat li\- which they had 

 entered. On tlie follow iiiL!,' day we had looked foi- our- 

 selves, but could not see any sio;ns of tlieir having coinc «iut. 

 On the morning in (|Uestioii. when the ]>arty were opposite 

 the valley, the dog winded them, apparent!}' not far oil". 

 He quickly brought them into sight of tlie deer. They 

 were about two liundi-ed yai'ds off. but it was dangerous 

 to try to get nearer. Instead of lying down as might 

 have been expected, for it was now ten o'clock, they kept 

 feedinij on riuht un ihe hill, and Tostin remarked with a 

 grin, that, if thev went (»ii. they \\(»uld get into a. place 

 where they could onl\' e(»me liaek the same way, and that 

 would be in the face of tlie hunters. They were now on 

 a steep slope, forming the base of a 1»roadish ridge, wliieh 

 led u]i to the top of the mountain, and this is flanked by 

 steep precipices on each side. The decried u[iwards with- 

 out pausing, the hunters following as closely as they daicd. 

 This went on till thev ti'ot fairlv ui)on the ridire. Not 

 being able to see them, they took the top of the moun- 

 tain before them like a turiu]) field, the two men on 

 either side, Kenny in the middle but a little behind. They 

 had not gone far. before he saw the deer some distance off. 

 a[)[)arently nearly as far as they could get. Up to this 

 time Tostin had thought that they could only escape 

 by coming straiglit back in their faces, lie now I'aiieied 

 that they might possibK know of a [»assage over tlie top of 

 the mountain, ami aecoi'dingly cliaiigiMl his mode of attack. 

 He would li'o (»n, and, b\ elindiinLi," alonir the face of the 



