132 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



Leaving Button out of sight, I settled down to 

 search for some sign of life with my binocular, and 

 soon caught sight of what seemed the head of a deer ; 

 and presently saw signs of there being a large herd. 



Descending, therefore, and leaving Button tied to a 

 tree in the valley below, I rapidly climbed the hill 

 on the opposite side. A high cross-wind was blowing, 

 and the ground was admirably suited for a stalk, for 

 just below the herd of wapiti ran a low limestone cliff, 

 up which I soon scrambled, and peering cautiously 

 over the edge, found my first elk in full view a 

 whole band of them. 



They formed a lovely picture, and to my delight 

 were barely fifty yards distant, making any chance of 

 missing out of the question. Quite twenty were in 

 sight, and I knew that at least as many more must be 

 lying where they could not be seen. 



A more beautiful sight could hardly be imagined, 

 with the dark green fir-trees and dazzling white lime- 

 stone cliff behind, while the elk lay in all kinds of 

 positions, some lazily flicking off the flies, some occa- 

 sionally rising to stretch themselves. But though I 

 waited anxiously for an hour and a half, no bull- elk, 

 as the stag wapiti are called, appeared. I felt it would 

 be excusable, for the sake of venison, to shoot a hind 

 or i cow-elk,' as they were the first I had seen. I 

 therefore picked out the largest and lightest coloured, 

 supposing that she would most probably be a barren 

 one, and fired. At the shot they all ' bunched up ' 

 and galloped off down the hill in a cloud of dust, 



