A Newfoundland Caribou Hunt 



whether that stag was killable ! Rather novel, 

 wasn't it? Examine your game, pass judg- 

 ment, and then either kill or free it. 



Two-thirds the distance was already con- 

 sumed, then suddenly the canoe shot ahead 

 and passed the caribou, then stopped, turned, 

 and forced the poor beast back toward our 

 side again. 



They had decided the head was a desirable 

 one, and now were driving the stag to the 

 most convenient spot to kill him. They might 

 easily have driven him to the very point we 

 stood upon, but they were probably tired with 

 their long and hard race, and simply returned 

 him to the original point. 



The stag swam slower now, and when with- 

 in a hundred yards of the point the canoe 

 again forged ahead, and this time my father 

 stepped ashore upon the point. In a few 

 seconds the caribou landed a hundred yards 

 below him. For a fleeting moment he paused 

 to shake himself. Brief as that moment was, 

 it was fatal ; for we, watching, saw a puff of 

 creamy smoke suddenly appear before the lev- 

 eled rifle, saw the bull plunge wildly a few 

 yards and pitch headlong upon the beach, and 

 before even the report of the shot reached us, 



297 



