ace was
several hundred yards wide.

"Oh, I see them!" said Rob, in an excited whisper. "What funny-looking
things they are--five of them!"

"Two stags, three cows," said Alex, quietly. "Too far to shoot. Wait
awhile."

They drew back now into the cover of the surrounding valleys, where it
is true the mosquitoes annoyed them unspeakably, but where they
remained with such patience as they could possess. The caribou seemed
to be slowly feeding out from the opposite edge of the forest, but
they were very deliberate and uncertain in their progress. The two
watched them for the best part of half an hour.

"Too bad!" said Alex, at last, as he peered out from behind the tree
which shielded them. "Four hundred yards at best."

Rob also ventured a look at this time.

"Why, there's only three," said he.

"Yes, the two stags went back into the woods."

"But we can't kill the cows," said Rob, decisively.

"Why not? They're just as good to eat."

"Maybe better," said Rob, "I don't doubt that. A young, fat cow is
better meat than an old bull any time, of course. But Uncle Dick said
we mustn't waste anything, and mustn't kill anything except what had
horns in this kind of game."

"Well," said Alex, "I don't much feel like going back to camp without
any meat."

"Nor I. Let's wait here awhile and maybe the stag'll come out again."

This indeed proved to be the case, for in a few minutes the smaller
stag did show at the edge of the wood, offering a dim and very
uncertain mark at a distance of several hundred yards. Rob began to
prepare his rifle.

"It's too far," said Alex. "No Injun would think of shooting that far.
You might only cripple."

"Yes," said Rob, "and I might only miss. But I'd rather do that than
shoot at one of the cows. I believe I'll take a chance anyhow, Alex."

Adjusting his rifle-sights to the best of his knowledge, Rob took long
and careful aim, and fired at the shoulder of the distant caribou,
which showed but indistinctly along his rifle-sights. The shot may
have come somewhere close to the animal, but certainly did not strike
it, for with a sudden whirl it was off, and in the next instant was
hidden by the protecting woods.

Now, there was instanced the truth of what Alex had said about the
fickleness of caribou nature. The three cows, one old and two young
ones, stood in full view in the open, at about half the distance of
the stag. They plainly saw both Alex and Rob as they now stepped out