MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



ownership, and one that in our day would have given 

 ample occupation to the lawyers. One would have 

 thought that the more peaceable, and on the whole 

 equitable, solution of the difficulty, namely, sharing 

 the meat of the elk, might have occurred to the 

 disputants. 



The existence of these elk-pits in the locality I was 

 hunting was clear evidence that the ground had 

 been, from time immemorial, a favourite elk-range. 

 Another reason, beside the legislative protection of 

 thirty years ago already mentioned, for the recent 

 increase in its stock of elk has been the incursion into 

 Sweden of the Eussian wolf. In severe winters 

 packs of wolves hunt the forests of Sweden, and even 

 cross the border into Norway, and thus drive the elk 

 farther west. The railway from Throndhjem to Chris- 

 tiania acts as a barrier, so the natives say, to the wolf, 

 who will not cross it, but not to the elk, who is not 

 afraid to cross the metal lines. Thus, west of the 

 railway a wolf -free sanctuary is created for the elk. 



On our return to our headquarters by the river, 

 thrilling news of a monster bull elk was brought to 

 us from higher up the valley. An elderly native of 

 highly respectable appearance vouched for the follow- 

 ing facts : that a young farmer had been hunting on 

 the ground adjoining mine ; that he had twice 

 encountered a bull elk of huge proportions and 

 apparently ungovernable i temper ; that on the first 

 occasion he had wounded the said bull with a Mauser 

 rifle, whereupon the said bull had chased him back to 

 his farm in a most vindictive manner, and his life had 

 only been saved by his dog being slipped, thus dis- 

 tracting the attention of the infuriated animal ; that 

 he had again found the bull the second day, this time 



