Blacktails in the Bad Lands 
it is hardly at such a time that his kindly 
instincts will suggest the propriety of letting 
the poor beasts escape. 
As for myself, with every muscle and nerve 
at tension from an exciting chase, and mind 
fairly satisfied of game well earned, it would 
have taken more self-denial than I pretend to 
possess not to shoot, especially since we had 
been living on pork for some time. When 
fresh meat is plentiful in camp, it is to a real 
sportsman no sacrifice to let the does and 
fawns escape, or to shoot them merely with the 
deadly kodak ; but on this day the shack really 
had to have meat — those lordly heads, too. 
There is always a strong desire, when one 
comes upon game, to shoot at once; but it is 
a good plan, if possible, to rest and get one’s 
breathing apparatus into proper shape. It is 
most exasperating, not to say cruel, to wound 
a deer and have him get away; and there is 
a good chance of this happening if, before 
your hand steadies and your head clears, you 
begin to open fire. 
From the direction of the wind it was quite 
evident that the deer could not scent me, so 
for some moments I lay watching the animals 
790 293 
