IIO ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



"John, what will you breakfast on elk, deer, mountain 

 sheep, or trout?" I asked. "I have found that the creek is 

 full of trout, and I saw fresh deer tracks in the park." 



"Well, I am not hard to please, but if the sun will only 

 wait an hour I will get my old sailor hook and we will have 

 some trout. If you don't mind going up into the quaking- 

 asp thicket, you may have a chance to get a white-tail, which 

 would go nicely with trout." 



I adjusted my belt, slung my rifle across my shoulder, 

 and started up the creek. What a grand sunset! If old 

 earth had been circled in flames, it could not have looked 

 more beautiful. The western sky was almost scarlet. Float- 

 ing clouds, passing over the snow-capped range, tinted with 

 a thousand colors the canyons filled with cedars, and the 

 bare mountain peaks which reared their heads until they 

 seemed to penetrate the blue sky. The air grew calm and 

 the waters seemed to hush their rippling. The elk stalked 

 abroad, sending forth his challenge on the calm air. 



My eyes fell on a band of red deer (cervus Virgin- 

 ianus) which had fed on the foliage fringing the creek, 

 and, as I gazed on the faultless forms of the beautiful 

 animals, I was stung with sorrow at the idea of killing such 

 creatures. How long I stood there I do not know, but the 

 shadows of the tall pines, which stood out like sentinels 

 of the night, were casting long, fairy-like shadows far down 

 the valley. The deer were now within a hundred paces, 

 and would soon show me flags as they bounded over the red 

 willows. I raised my rifle and slowly set the hammer at 

 full cock. A fawn walked toward the lord of the herd, who 

 seemed to caress it as he rested his great antler-crowned 

 head against the fawn's shoulder, the while he gazed at me, 

 his eyes sparkling. I changed my mind, and, as the sun- 

 light sparkled along the barrel, I pressed the trigger, send- 



