168 



FOREST LIFE IN ACADIE. 



odour pervades the camp, whilst the hissing fryinrr-pan 

 tops the logs. 



The want of a fresh fall of snow had thus internipted 

 our sports in the Parsboro' country for some days, when 

 the welcome flakes at last came down one wild stormy 

 night, and covered the forest and barren with a clean 

 mantle of three or four inches, obliterating the old tracks 

 and softenmg the crust so that it again became practicable' 

 to stalk the wary cariboo. Many times had we started 

 small herds on the barren, and in the greenwoods, with- 

 out sighting them ; the first token of their proximity 

 nnd of their having taken alarm, being the crashing of 

 the branches which they breasted in flight. 



It was a beautiful hunting morning on which, after 

 the new fall of the previous night, we trudged along the 

 forest-path leading from our camp to the barrens and 

 made sure of shots during the day, for the change of 

 wind, and the storm, would cause a movement amon^'o- the 

 deer. A mile or so from camp the snow was ploiHied- 

 up by a multitude of fresh tracks ; a herd of cariboo\ad 

 lust crossed it ; there could not have been less than 

 thirty of them, all going south from the barrens. We at 

 once struck into the woods after them, and followed for 

 about an hour, when the herd divided into two streams 

 One of these we followed, the tracks every moment be- 

 coming fresher, until, on passing through a dense alder 

 thicket which grew over water, treacherously covered 

 with raised ice, the ice gave way with a crash, and we at 

 the same moment heard the game start. We rushed on 

 as fiist as possible, for they had not seen or winded us 

 and might possibly think the noise proceeded merely 

 from the ice falling in, as it often does when suspended 



