Hunting from the Ranch 49 



for some time, and then sauntered slowly off, re 

 maining within shot for at least five minutes. For 

 tunately we had plenty of meat at the time, and 

 there was no necessity to harm the graceful crea 

 tures. A few days later we came on two bucks 

 sunning themselves in the bottom of a valley. My 

 companion killed one. The other was lying but a 

 dozen rods off; yet it never moved, until several 

 shots had been fired at the first. It was directly un 

 der me, and, in my anxiety to avoid overshooting, 

 to my horror I committed the opposite fault, and 

 away went the buck. 



Every now and then any one will make most un 

 accountable misses. A few days after thus losing 

 the buck I spent nearly twenty cartridges in butcher 

 ing an unfortunate yearling, and only killed it at all 

 because it became so bewildered by the firing that 

 it hardly tried to escape. I never could tell why I 

 used so many cartridges to such little purpose. Dur 

 ing the next fortnight I killed seven deer without 

 making a single miss, though some of the shots were 

 rather difficult. 



VOL. II. 



