Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-05-03
ONE HUNDRED CARIBOU IN A
HERD.

81 was trout fishing carly one sum-
mer up in Somerse, county, Me-" said
a New York sportsman. My camp was
on the shore OF one Of the many small
lakes that abound in that part OF the
State. One evening. Just at sunset. my
guide came in, all a-quiver with ex-
element.
IF you want to see something that
neither you nor any other man will
ever be likely TO see again. said he.
Just sneak down to the pond with me-
Il crept stealthily in his wake down
through the thick timber to the edge OF
The lake 1t was still light enough at
the upper end OF the lake. where we
were camped and which was not in the
shadow OF the hills. for us to see plain
~ a quarter Of mile along the margin
of the water. The guide cautiously
parted the dense growth O. young
birches that fr!Eged the edge OF the lake
on that side.
look yonderr he whispered.
Il looked and my heart almost Jump
ed ont of my mouth. The sight was al
most past believing. All along the up
! per shore OF the lake, standing belly
deep among the lily pods. in various at
titudcs of grace and stateliness. the
water was alive with caribou. Mag
nficently antlered bulls a.amepd and
snorted and tossed their kingly heads
among meek faced cows. while in and
out among them spOr,ed a drove OF
velvet coated calves. We countd fifty
seven bulls and COWS and almost every
cow had proprietary interest in at
! least ore calf. We watched this re-
markable congregation Of caribou in
| silence-the sight being. too much for
| speech-until the shadows OF evening
! began drawing deeply about them and
we could have seen them only dimly a
! few minutes later. Then my guide
whispered:
wen pull on EN- just once, any
| how, and see how many We can drop
Selecting each Of us big bull. we
fired. a terrified chorus Of snorts FOL
lowed the discharge Of the guns. There
was a sound Of water in great commo-
ton for a moment, and the next in
slant the woods were filled with the
crashing OF the flying herd through the
thick brush. My guide and sent the
contents Of our second barrels after the
caribou as they rushed in a confused
! and thickly punched mass fvpn- .rhe
! WAFER In less time than il tages TO tell
ali was as quiet as if nothing had Oc-
CURED to disturb the solitude Of the
great wilderness In the water, there
huge nulks showing above the broad
mat of lily pods. lay the dead bodies OF
the two bulls we had selected as our
first targets On the edge OF the lake.
one with his head in the water and his
lanks stretched on the shore, and the
other with his antlers lifted high on
land. his hind parts buried among the
lilies. lay two other bulls, the victims
OF the two chance shots that followed
the herd in its flight.
1--we seen a good many caribou in
I my time said the guide-who was Nat
Moore. at that time Names greatest
caribou hur.cr-but the natural his
tory G. Maine never calculated on mo
or anyone else ever getting in among
such a congregation OF en- as that
was.
Two or three seasons after thai
thirty caribou came into that same lake
While Nat WAS there. lie shot one. and
expected to see the rest OF the herd dast
instantly away into the woods. 10
the old guides surprise, instead OF the
rest scamperirg away they seemed to
he manic stricken. and hudded together
in the pond. snorting and splashlng the
water about. 1t wasn't until Nat had
shot ard killed seven OF the drove that
the survivors recovered their wits and
removed themselves without any more
ado out of The reach Of his deadly aim.
| This was twenty years ago. ! have
been on those Maine waters every year.
almost. since then, and have never
seen but three caribou there in all that
time. and two OF these | saw last year
killing one. u big bull. Yors
! sun.