\m 



12 



NOTES OF THE HUNT. 



pleasantly relieved by the cheery chick-a-de-dee and the 

 plaintive ♦* mi do " note of another tiny bird. But the 

 shadows growing longer and deeper, and no sign of 

 prey appearing, we paddled slowly homeward, reaching 

 camp in good time for tea. 



Thursday, 2nd October. 



lO Y dint of Matthews' persistence and mild growling 

 1^ about the late hour of our previous starts, the 

 guides rose at six and ourselves at 6:30. After a good 

 breakfast we were off at seven and took our stations : 



/ 



Hedley at Narrows near Camp, 

 Matthews at Big Twin Lake, 

 Townsend at Poverty Lake. 



The dogs were put out on the Big Twin at 7:45, and 

 within an hour or two had chased two deer into Tov/n- 

 send's watch, who killed one of them, a doe, and missed 

 the other. Not only this, but shortly afterward, while 

 watching close in shore, an enormous buck came coast- 

 ing along the shore of the lake and crouched in the 

 water at the margin among the bushy top of a fallen 

 tree. The trunk of that tree, however, was between 

 him and his hunter, so that the antlers and feet were 

 the only part of the deer that could be seen. Tom, if 

 he had not had the nerve of a veteran, must have been 

 half paralyzed with anxiety, for he could not get a shot 

 and dared not move. Minutes are hours under such 

 circumstances, and the situation was presently relieved 

 by the lordly stag bounding back through the thick 

 underbrush into the woods. *• Well," said Alvin, ** talk 

 about cool hands ; you're one of 'em after that." 



