round helped me forward
to the next little height; and now they were right in front of me,
within what I should have called easy range if it had been daylight. I
tried to take aim, but could not see the bead on my gun.

Man's fate is sometimes hard to bear. My clothes were dripping with
wet clay, and after what seemed to me most meritorious exertions,
here I was at the goal, unable to take advantage of my position. But
now the reindeer moved down into a small depression. I crept forward
a little way farther as quickly as I could. I was in a splendid
position, so far as I could tell in the dark, but I could not see
the bead any better than before. It was impossible to get nearer,
for there was only a smooth slope between us. There was no sense
in thinking of waiting for light to shoot by. It was now midnight,
and I had that terrible mate to the north of me; besides, the wind
was not to be trusted. I held the rifle up against the sky to see the
bead clearly, and then lowered it on the reindeer. I did this once,
twice, thrice. The bead was still far from clear; but, all the same,
I thought I might hit, and pulled the trigger. The two deer gave a
sudden start, looked round in astonishment, and bolted off a little way
south. There they stood still again, and at this moment were joined
by a third deer, which had been standing rather farther north. I
fired off all the cartridges in the magazine, and all to the same
good purpose. The creatures started and moved off a little at each
shot, and then trotted farther south. Presently they made another
halt, to take a long careful look at me; and I dashed off westward,
as hard as I could run, to turn them. Now they were off straight in
the direction where some of my comrades ought to be. I expected every
moment to hear shots and see one or two of the animals fall; but away
they ambled southward, quite unchecked. At last, far to the south,
crack went a rifle. I could see by the smoke that it was at too long
a range; so in high dudgeon I shouldered my rifle and lounged in the
direction of the shot. It was pleasant to see such a good result for
all one's trouble.

No one was to be seen anywhere. At length I met Sverdrup; it was he
who had fired. Soon Blessing joined us, but all the others had long
since left their posts. While Blessing went back to the boat and his
botanizing box, Sverdrup and I went on to try our luck once more. A
little farther south we came to a valley stretching r