20 Wilderness Ways. 



and another lesson to be taught in the caribou 

 school. 



As I watched them the mothers all came out from 

 the shadows and began trotting round the opening, 

 the little ones keeping close as possible, each one' to 

 its mother's side. Then the old ones went faster ; the 

 calves were left in a long line stringing out behind. 

 Suddenly the leader veered in to the edge of the tim- 

 ber and went over a fallen tree with a jump ; the cows 

 followed splendidly, rising on one side, falling grace- 

 fully on the other, like gray waves racing past the end 

 of a jetty. But the first little one dropped his head 

 obstinately at the tree and stopped short. The next 

 one did the same thing ; only he ran his head into the 

 first one's legs and knocked them out from under him. 

 The others whirled with a ba-a-a-ak,- and scampered 

 round the tree and up to their mothers, who had 

 turned now and stood watching anxiously to see the 

 effect of their lesson. Then it began over again. 



It was true kindergarten teaching ; for under guise 

 of a frolic the calves were being taught a needful les- 

 son, — not only to jump, but, far more important than 

 that, to follow a leader, and to go where he goes with- 

 out question or hesitation. For the leaders on the 

 barrens are wise old bulls that make no mistakes. 

 Most of the little caribou took to the sport very well, 



