130 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



He was of large size and long in the limb, with one 

 heavy palmated horn of eight points and one deformed 

 horn, that had apparently been injured in some way 

 during growth. It was also clear, from the condition 

 of his teeth and from his general appearance, that he 

 was an old bull, who for some years had ' gone back.' 



I have alluded to the chances of woodland sport. 

 This concluding episode of my season's elk-hunting 

 was an instance in which pure luck played the leading 

 part in a successful find and kill. We had passed 

 within a mile of these elk in the morning without 

 knowing of their presence in the forest. It was 

 evident that they had been in the same locality for 

 some days, or the infallible Rover would never have 

 passed their tracks. We had crossed the wind above 

 them just too far to give it. It was pure chance and 

 nothing else that we returned in the evening just 

 below the elk on a side-wind, and so approached them 

 undisturbed. But so it happened, and thus the old bull 

 met his fate. Our tale of elk was now complete. The 

 limit of four bulls had been killed on my rented forest, 

 supplemented by a fifth from the neighbouring ground. 

 Johan's bloodthirsty desires were fully satisfied, and 

 his larder, with those of some other deserving natives 

 of the valley, well supplied with winter meat. 



Two days later the syndicate was dissolved by 

 mutual consent, but its members parted with that 

 permanent sense of comradeship which combined and 

 successful endeavour, in sport as in other affairs of 

 life, always gives. 



I returned home across the North Sea with a 

 pleasant and lasting recollection of three weeks' 

 successful elk -hunting in the spruce -forests of 

 Norway. 





