BENSON "GOES FOR" A DEER. 59 



rattling savagery of the thunder.- its roar and crash among 

 the mountains, and the blinding Hoods of rain, descend- 

 ing as if the clouds were huge catapults hurling their wild, 

 watery missiles down with all the wrath of war! If the 

 stillness was appalling, so is this, the other possibility of an 

 Adirondack day. 



But on this occasion the giants were all asleep, and 

 Thompson and I stepped overand around them unconscious 

 of their presence, and declared there was nothing half 

 so charming as an afternoon ramble and scramble in the 

 Adirondack woods. So do we all, in our daily lives, walk 

 among the unseen elements of tragedies, happy to day in 

 the sun shine, to morrow sitting with bowed heads and 

 aching hearts in the darkened home where the storm has 

 luiM. Hie bolt descended, and there isan untold desolation. 



We \\ere in camp again, in the rvening. "Boys," said 

 Benson, "Horace and I have a little business on hand. 

 This camp hasn't had a mouthful of venison yet, and 

 there's plenty of it runninu 1 around loo.-e in these woods. 

 We're going for it." 



'Put him in the hold!" shouted the sailor merchant, 

 " he's gone daft ! Too much lake water, no doubt, and too 

 little ' enlivener. ' You don't propose to go out of camp 

 this dark night, do you?" 



" That's the programme, my dear, innocent friend. You 

 don't suppose I mean to shoot a deer up there where Neo 

 phyle shot the rabbit, do you? " 



"Hut it's darker than a cellar. and it's almost sure to 

 rain. " 



