REINDEER STAI-KING :Mr) 



rorluiK'. On uiic uecasioii, we .s|)1lhI cIult on llic l()[) oi a 

 ridge wliic]i tliorc wore niil\- two way.s of reaching. We 

 stati(»iu'il (iiir>cl\es l»\- oiic n(" llirsc wax's, and sent a man 

 iijt the other to drive the deer towards us, liut contrary to 

 all reason, they doubled back past the driver and went 

 dtiwn ])\' the wav lie liad conic u}). Another lime, we 

 wounded one out of a herd, which fell oxer a precipice 

 where it was not possible to recoNcr him ; at least so 'J'ostin 

 said. Twice the wind chopped round to our backs Just 

 as we were a]i])roacliing deer. Once a thick fog came on 

 when the dog was leading us up to deer, and they saw 

 us before we saw them. Once only I made a downright 

 mi.ss, and as it is usual to attribute that sort of misfoituiie 

 to some extraneous cause, I will say that I shot over his 

 back owing to a stiff neck. 



At last our time was uj), and we liad to get across to 

 the Romsdal valley, and take to our hirjolcs again. Our 

 last quarters on the fj(dd Avere at a pleasant ])laec by the 

 banks of a orand trout stream, whicli atforded a wclc(une 

 chano'c in oui- larder. 



The last day came, we had twenty miles to walk to 

 the valley. We were very anxious to score a final success, 

 and to improve our chances we separatc(l ,ind liM.k ditfcrent 

 wa\s, Kciinv takiuij' To.-^tin, and I an old hunter from 

 Aursuen. named Bjornen, or the Beai', wliich ap[ir(>priately 

 desci-ibed liini. I\cnn\' snw nothing all d;iy. \avV still 

 seemed auainst us for the wind shifted to our ba(d<s as 

 soon as we had started, making it very unlikely that the 

 dou' would set the wind of deer, and hi'_;hi\ oruhablc th;it 

 tliev would get ours, and this in fact was the very thing 

 that happened. About five miles on the way. we saw a 



