The Black-Tail Deer. 135 



which he had run, he stopped and turned partially round. 

 Firing again from a rest, the bullet broke his hind leg far 

 up and went into his body. Off he went on three legs, 

 and I after him as fast as the horse could gallop. He 

 went over the spur and down into the valley of the creek 

 from which the coulie branched up, in very bad ground. 

 My pony was neither fast nor surefooted, but of course 

 in half a mile overhauled the three-legged deer, which 

 turned short off and over the side of the hill flanking the 

 valley. Instead of running right up on it I foolishly dis- 

 mounted and began firing ; after the first shot a miss 

 it got behind a boulder hitherto unseen, and thence over 

 the crest. The pony meanwhile had slipped its hind leg 

 into the rein ; when, after some time, I got it out and gal- 

 loped up to the ridge, the most careful scrutiny of which 

 my unpractised eyes were capable failed to discover a 

 track on the dry ground, hard as granite. A day or two 

 afterwards the place where the carcass lay was made 

 known by the vultures, gathered together from all parts 

 to feed upon it. 



When fired at from a place of hiding, deer which 

 have not been accustomed to the report of a gun will 

 often appear confused and uncertain what to do. On 

 one occasion, while hunting in the mountains, I saw an 

 old buck with remarkably large horns, of curious and 

 beautiful shape, more symmetrical than in most instances 

 where the normal form is departed from. The deer was 

 feeding in a wide, gently sloping valley, containing no 

 cover from behind which to approach him. We were 

 in no need of meat, but the antlers were so fine that I 



