great Court Ball a large pie was prepared in which a small stuffed bear- cub was put in a bed of moss and placed on the Emperor’s table, at which the noble sportsman was invited to supper. When the covers were re¬ moved the amusement of the royal guests who were in the secret, and the dismay of the culprit, may be imagined; but it is said that he retired amidst roars of laughter and did not appear again at Court for a long time.
But everything comes to him who waits, and my lucky day came at last when, after this season’s elk hunting in Namdalen, I was invited by a Norwegian landowner to visit him for a few days, in order to prospect some ground which he offered to let to me for the ensuing season. I took Elias with me, and after three days’ hunting without success, which was mainly due to the carelessness of the local hunter who was sent to show us the ground, I determined on September 29th to go out alone with Elias to a valley where a good bull was reported, at some distance from the house. My host said that it was no use our going without his man as we should probably lose our way; to which I replied that, though Elias was a stranger to the district, I preferred to take my chance with him alone* After a three hours’ walk, we at last reached the far end of the ground which we proposed to hunt* But the wind was so slight—nothing more than a gentle air from the west—that we hesitated to go into a large thick wood that we knew, from the signs we had seen the day before, was full of elk, Elias suggested trying some higher ground which, if not so certain to hold game, looked much more favourable to approach in on such a day. We made for the east end of a likely looking hill which we afterwards learned was known by the name of Trollfoss Klumpen, which, being interpreted, means Fairy Falls Hill, Crossing the river by an old timber floating dam, we cautiously skirted the edge of the open moor which bordered it, and before entering the birch and pine wood which covered the hill, came on some fresh-looking droppings of a bear, Elias, after turning it over, said quietly, “ I think that is not very old;” but as the dog took no notice, we did not yet realise how fresh it really was, A little further on we found more, and began to quarter the ground in the hope of finding elk. The dog began to draw gently, as though he smelt something but did not know what, and for another half-hour we proceeded with the utmost caution, Now Finn was not like many elk- dogs who pull furiously while the game is yet afar off; but he had a good nose, nevertheless, and yet he did not seem at all sure. After a while his tail went down, and Elias, watching him carefully, whispered, “ I think he smells wolf or bear."
We crept on yard by yard spying the ground in front of us with the utmost care, until we came to a large old pine tree on a narrow ridge overlooking a deep narrow ravine full of thick bushes, which separated us from the higher part of the hill. Under this pine was a lair which, it was plain to see, had not long been left by a bear, and Finn assumed an air of extreme interest, though his tail, which is usually curled tightly on his back, kept down. Elias also began to walk as if we had an elk within twenty yards, stopping to listen at every few paces. After passing the lair we saw that the dog kept looking intently into the ravine, and when
