THE STILL HUNT. 139 



then hoppling the ponies, ran on to the edge of the 

 bushes, that afforded a good cover. Having reached this, 

 we passed carefully through, looking out toward the 

 open land beyond in hopes to see the buck within shot, 

 but, alas ! he was too wise for that, and had only stopped 

 when fully beyond the reach of harm from the thicket 

 close behind. Near by, a turkey-hen was leading a large 

 brood of youag ones, nearly full grown, clucking and 

 hopping along, and running hither and thither in the 

 pursuit of spiders and other insects, that showed she was 

 utterly unconscious of her dangerous neighbors. 



" Now we'll have to crawl for it," said Mike,. 



" Then the sooner we begin, the sooner we get within 

 shot," said I, moving forward. 



" Stop," whispered Mike ; " wait till those turkeys get 

 away. If the deer sees them run away in a hurry he'll 

 make tracks too, for he knows thar is something wrong 

 hereabout, and having seen us once, he'll know it's us." 



So we waited patiently until the turkey brood had 

 sauntered down the woods, and then emerged from our 

 place of concealment. Mike ran ahead in a stooping pos- 

 ture, and I followed close behind, running when he ran, 

 and halting when he stopped. The first run we made 

 was comparatively easy, for an immense pine tree, made 

 doubly large by a large grape-vine that wound around it 

 and hung in clusters by its trunk, fully concealed our 

 approach. Here we took another survey of the ground 

 and the game, and then, when a tree intervened between 

 us and the head of the deer, which stood with his side 



