140 WILD SPOETS IN THE SOUTH. 



toward us, we ran forward again until the deer wagged 

 his tail, when we halted, in whatever position we might 

 be. 



It may be necessary to explain, for the benefit of those 

 who have never learned the fact from deer-stalking, that 

 a deer feeds and watches at irregular intervals, and that 

 always, two or three seconds before raising his head, 

 either to walk forward, or to cast a glance of watchful- 

 ness around him, he gives his white tail a quick whisk or 

 two. The knowledge of this simple and peculiar habit 

 is of immense use to the still-hunter, who is thus fore- 

 warned when to advance, and Avhen to lie still. 



Thus by quick and short advances we approached to 

 within a very long shot of our deer. My heart was 

 beating thick and fast, and the sweat of great men- 

 tal excitement stood in drops on my face, and rolled in 

 my eyes, causing me to wipe them with my sleeve every 

 minute. 



" Now," whispered Mike, " ef yer want to try him, 

 yer must crawl alone while I wait ; we can't get any 

 nearer together, but mind his tail." 



So Mike laid still behind the weeds that were shelter- 

 ing us, while I went on alone. Horatius advancing 

 before the Roman army to defend the bridge, could not 

 have felt more keenly the prominence of his position 

 under the eyes of all Rome, than I did as I stalked for- 

 ward, under the keen eye of Mike the Spook, to shoot 

 that deer. First I had a little shrub between me and 

 the buck, and about twenty feet ahead ; to this I ad- 



