Quadrupeds. 3133 



if untouched, but quickening his pace a little ; soon however he stops 

 and turns round to stare at us leisurely ; then onward he quietly trots 

 again, followed by the other two, and, soon rounding the hill, is lost 

 to our view. We are much disappointed, thinking he is not touched, 

 but, loading again, prepare to follow him, although with little hope of 

 seeing him again. We have not advanced far in pursuit, when to our 

 great delight, and not a little to our amazement, for he showed no sign 

 of being hit, we see drops of blood on a stone in his track, then more, 

 then still more, then a little pool of blood where he had stood to gaze 

 at us : we see that one of us at least has hit him hard, and our spirits 

 rise. It is easy now to track him by the blood, which is on every 

 stone over which he has passed ; we put the dog on the track, but the 

 beast is useless, and will not take it up : but no matter ! — there is so 

 much blood we can track him ourselves : so we follow for about half 

 an English mile, when beyond a rock in front we can see the top of 

 his back. Now we advance again very cautiously, and crouching 

 down to the ground ; but, as we get nearer, we find caution unneces- 

 sary — the deer is dead : and brandishing our guns over our heads, 

 and with loud shouts such as the wild fjeld seldom hears, we are soon 

 by the side of our prey : he is quite dead, the fatal bullet struck him 

 in the middle of the belly. We look around for the doe and fawn, 

 but they are nowhere to be seen ; they have left their lord to die 

 alone, and are probably many miles away. 



After admiring the goodly size and the splendid antlers of our prey, 

 we soon set to work at him after Norwegian custom. And first, to 

 take off his skin : each armed with a hunting-knife, or small dagger 

 with a hilt, the invariable and most useful weapon in the belt of a 

 Norsk huntsman, and each taking one leg, and beginning at the foot, 

 we proceed to strip him of his skin. After half an hour's hard work 

 the skin is removed ; this being done, the huntsman and guide pro- 

 ceed to open him : we leave that to them, as well as the task of bury- 

 ing the skin under one heap of stones, and the body under another, 

 this being the regular custom in Norway, lest the bears and wolves 

 should devour them during the night, or before a horse can be brought 

 to convey them home ; for we are now many miles from the nearest 

 house. And now, giving strict charge to our men to bring the heart 

 and one leg to the place appointed for our night's quarters, we replace 

 the bullets in our guns with shot, and proceed to shoot ptarmigan for 

 the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we make a great feast off 

 reindeer leg and heart, cut off in slices, and toasted by each for him- 

 self on the point of his hunting-knife in a blazing fire. We find the 



