34 NATURE'S REALM. 
actually ran down the hill, coming into the bot- 
tom of the ravine not twenty yards from where 
Fred stood. As the caribou passed another 
ball went through the body, the animal falling 
into the little stream. Joe had gone up the hill 
to see where his game had gone, but found 
no trace, and there seemed to be so many 
tracks that all was confusion. Fred’s third one 
had also disappeared. He told Joe to keep 
quiet—not to follow, but come back. Joe felt 
put out over his ill luck, but kept on trav- 
eling on the side hill. This spot had escaped 
the fire and had its virgin growth of wood, in 
which the caribou had taken shelter from the 
storm. Joe had not gone over five hundred 
yards when, watching warily about and glanc- 
ing across the ravine, he espied a caribou 
nimbling at a dead branch on which hung long 
filaments of white moss, of which caribou are 
fond. ‘Just about one hundred yards,” Joe 
said—“ no trees this time,” and carefully aimed 
for the fatal spot. One bound and Joe’s cari- 
bou was down never to rise again. Skins were 
taken off and rolled up in small compass and 
a track made to haul out. The day following 
the whole six were hauled to the river and a 
cache made for two; the others were hauled 
four miles further down and cached, and as 
they had now considered that they had suffic- 
ient, they made a move for the main Resti- 
gouche next day, where the boss settler, Wires, 
resides, The six caribou hides with the second 
head was added, making two respectable to- 
boggan loads, and we got off on the twenty- 
fourth of December. As there would be horses 
bringing lumber supplies up to this point in a 
couple of weeks, the heads and heavy skins 
were left to come by team. The other furs, 
consisting of 132 marten, 5 fishers, 12 beaver, 
3 otter, 15 mink, 36 muskrat and 17 lynx, were 
packed on the toboggan and brought to market. 
Having bought fur previously from Fred he 
offered me the lot, but as furs had gone down 
in price and were expected to drop still lower, 
I could not offer the price he set on them. 
I, however, offered him $325, at the same 
time telling him that I knew there were 
other parties who would give him more. He 
accordingly sold the lot for $360 and the party 
buying sold himself at the same time. I finally 
bought the hides, bear skins and heads, and give 
you measurements of heads as follows: 
The largest is from end of nose to end of antler, 53 inches. 
Base of skull fo. end of antler, . . .. », « » 7 oe oa 
Width ofsmallantiers, =... Ss. ee ar 
Width at‘end of lange antlers,". 2)? %) 2) 360 
Number of prongs on each antler, 18. 
This is the largest and finest head ever seen 
here. The next one in size is considerably 
less, with fourteen prongs, but most symmetri- 
cal, and would be considered a No. 1 head. 
Mr. Fred goes up soon again and says he is 
bound to kill thirty bear before coming back, 
and probably his spring hunt will be much 
more exciting than this has been. 

