64 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



behind me; with a deafening noise they formed then 

 usual triangle, and flew all in the same direction. 



Luckily for me, I had in my bag a couple of wild ducks 

 that I had killed and roasted the day before. The forest 

 was mortally dull, and the march began to grow rather 

 tedious, for my rambles in the north were still fresh in 

 my memory. I passed the night very pleasantly by a 

 fire, while my hunger took the second duck into con- 

 sideration. 



Towards noon I came to the little river Sulphur-fork, 

 which I was obliged to wade through, after many vain 

 attempts to find a shallow place, the water corning up to 

 my chest. I began to despair of getting any thing to 

 eat, and, being thoroughly wet, I resolved to come soon 

 to a halt, and dry myself by a fire, when all at once I 

 saw about fifty deer, within shot, all quietly feeding, and 

 taking no notice of me. For an instant I stood petrified ; 

 then every fibre in my body beat and trembled with de- 

 light. The suddenness of the sight had so excited me 

 that I could not take aim, and I was obliged to wait to 

 collect myself. It was a glorious sight, such a number 

 of those noble animals together ; I counted fifty-seven, 

 and derived particular pleasure from the antics of two 

 fawns, which made the most comical bounds, and came 

 very near me without any suspicion. Regret to kill such 

 a beautiful innocent creature withheld my hand for some 

 time, but hunger was not to be cajoled, I fired, and one 

 of them fell without a cry. The effect of the report upon 

 the herd was quite ludicrous, each of the hitherto un- 

 suspicious animals became an image of attention, then 

 fled with immense bounds towards the thicket. As I did 



