ELK-HUNTING IN NORWAY 123 



in the company of a cow elk ; and that he had again 

 been chased by the monster, after firing at and missing 

 him ; but on this occasion only for a short distance, 

 as the bull was unwilling to leave his mate. The 

 native hunter's nerve (and ammunition) having now 

 failed him, the services of the syndicate were re- 

 quested. The hero of the story was subsequently 

 interviewed and cross-examined. He had the hardi- 

 hood not only to corroborate, but also to amplify all the 

 foregoing details. Only four days of the elk-hunting 

 season now remained, but I wanted to see some fresh 

 ground, and determined to devote one day to exploring 

 higher up the valley, and seeing what foundation, if 

 any, there was for this Mimchausen tale ; as a further 

 encouragement, it was suggested that, as the monster 

 bull had now secured a mistress, he would be in a 

 pleasanter and less aggressive frame of mind. 



Next day we carrioled about ten miles up the valley, 

 met the young farmer by appointment to show us the 

 ground, and were taken by him into what appeared to 

 be perfect country for elk. Long stretches of gently- 

 sloping forest of fir and birch, gradually rising to 

 steeper birch-clad hillside and fjeld, gave us good 

 hope of seeing the game we sought even the apocry- 

 phal bull in question. At the foot of a steep hillside 

 we found the fresh tracks of a good bull elk, which 

 led us gradually upward to some thick birch-groves. 

 The scent grew warm. The weather was still and 

 fine, and we halted an hour for lunch, in spite of 

 Rover's impatience, hoping to catch the elk feeding 

 later on. Presently the advance was resumed with 

 great caution, as the cover was thick ; the wind, how- 

 ever, was right. Soon it was evident that Rover had 

 winded elk. After a false alarm, a fallen tree being 



