THE ADIRONDACKS 81 



ready to bound away. The dry limbs of a prostrate 

 •tree were surely his antlers. 



But what are those two luminous spots? Need 

 the reader to be told what they were 1 In a moment 

 the head of a real deer became outlined; then his 

 neck and f oreshoulders ; then his whole body. 

 There he stood, up to his knees in the water, gazing 

 fixedly at us, apparently arrested in the movement 

 of putting his head down for a lily-pad, and evi- 

 dently thinking it was some new-fangled moon 

 sporting about there. "Let him have it,'^ said my 

 prompter, — and the crash came. There was a 

 scuffle in the water, and a plunge in the woods. 

 "He 's gone,'' said I. "Wait a moment," said the 

 guide, "and I will show you." Kapidly running 

 the canoe ashore, we sprang out, and, holding the 

 jack aloft, explored the vicinity by its light. 

 There, over the logs and brush, I caught the glim- 

 mer of those luminous spots again. But, poor 

 thing! there was little need of the second shot, 

 which was the unkindest cut of all, for the deer 

 had already fallen to the ground, and was fast 

 expiring. The success was but a very indififerent 

 one, after all, as the victim turned out to be only 

 an old doe, upon whom maternal cares had evidently 

 worn heavily during the summer. 



This mode of taking deer is very novel and 

 strange. The animal is evidently fascinated or be- 

 wildered. It does not appear to be frightened, but 

 as if overwhelmed with amazement, or under the 



