Charlevoix county herald., 1912-06-22

~ NCE more l found myself in
Newfoundland watching from
my blind for the elusive carl
" bou. The day before yester-
day, while padding up the
river, | saw several small lots of carl
bou; and this morning, while cooking
my solitary breakfast, a herd Of fif-
teen swan across the river and land
ed on the bank directly opposite my
camp; so 1t looks as though the mi
grafton, for which / have long waited,
has really begun, writes A. Radcliffe
Dugmore in Country Life. Yesterday
/ repaired the blinds, which / have
used each year. and built a couple OF
new ones on very promising leads. so
l feel that ] am ready for my friends
when they come. My blind, or gaze,
as the Newfoundlanders call 1t, is
simple affair composed of about
dozen small fir trees stuck securely
into the bog, arranged In circle. open
at the southern end. On the north
side facing the leads the branches are
cut away. leaving an opening through
which the camera protrudes. The Sc
|
Is OF the greatest Importance; II
should control as many leads as pos
sible, the prevailing direction OF the
wind must be considered, the sun
must be from the back, the back
! ground should compose WELL and
] there should be no distractions In
the foreground. Inside the blind
everything should be arranged so that
no dry twigs will rub against ones
clothing. for the slightest noise may
cause The loss Of picture. A number
of well-worn leads or paths pass on
each side Of the blind l have made,
some only few feet away, others two
or three hundred feet All the con-
ditions are such that II the caribou
come / should be almost certain to
| get pictures.
The day wears on, but not a caribou
comes. l have been doing some
sketching. but the cold wind makes
the work very trying. The afternoon
is particularly dark and unpleasant.
and as It Is nearly four o'clock l will
head for camp without having used
a single plate. On my way down the
river two small herds crossed far
ahead Of me.
In a New Blind.
Another day. Since eight o'clock
this morning have been in the same
blind. but without accomplishing any
thing. In the distance l have heard
the splashing of animals crossing the
river; why 1t Is none comes along
these fine leads is difficult TO under
stand. Before returning to my camp
I shall examine the banks and find
out what leads are being used. Yes
terdays search showed that the carl
bou are using the leads below my
! camp, quite a number having crossed
the river during the past few days;
so this morning finds me in a new
blind on the south side of the river.
| Unfortunately, the wind Is blowing so
hard that 1t Is impossible to hear any
animals entering the water There
fore IL Is all the more necessary that
l keep my eyes opened. For two
hours l have been waiting and my
hands and feet are becoming numb,
so l must get up and start the blood
circulating; but wait! there Is a carl
bou. IL proved to be only a doe and
her fawn, a beautiful pair. almost en-
tirely clothed in their winter coat OF
silvery white. They came along at a
quick walk heading directly toward
me. closer and closer until within forty
feet or 80. Owing to the lack OF light
1t was impossible to make a picture
| Of hon yatk hot
everything was ready I gave a sudden
shout. They stopped Immediately,
and as they looked about with a sur
prised expression the shutter clicked
with a noise that revealed my position
and Off the pair went at full gallop.
This little excitement helped to warm
me up; but the cold Is getting more
and more intense and the sky be-
comes still more heavily obscured
with cold, lead-colored clouds. Bad
weather Is coming. without doubt. III
only it would snow there would be no
lack OF caribou. Even while l am
writing occasional snowflakes fly past,
singing my face. Further writing Is
impossible today. At intervals during
the night fiurries OF hard snow blew
against my tent, yet all together
there was scarcely enough to whiten
the ground.
Good Chance With Camera.
The day broke dull and gray. but
before nine o'clock the sun came out.
Now IL the caribou would only come
The light Is good and there is little
wind. so that any animals crossing the
river can be easily heard. Suddenly
the stiffness of the morning was brok-
en- by repeated sounds OF splashins