EARLY DAY STORIES. 117 



Next morning Bob volunteered to stay in camp, boil 

 some elk meat and make a pot pie for dinner while I tried 

 to get a deer. First I hunted through the willow thickets, 

 but the deer were not there. Next I went north to the hills, 

 going but a short distance before I ran onto a large black- 

 tail buck which was killed with one shot. Next I turned 

 to the right, thinking to hunt through the low hills and make 

 camp by noon, so as to be in time for the pot pie. But the 

 pot pie had to wait, for I met with one of the strangest ex- 

 periences I ever had in hunting, and did not get to camp 

 until two or three o'clock. Before coming to the valley I 

 found a short, deep canyon, with banks almost perpendic- 

 ular, and going in at the head of it thought I would follow 

 it to the river valley. I had gone but a short distance be- 

 fore I saw a perfectly fresh deer's track in the sand at the 

 bottom of the canyon. It was a very large track and was 

 going down toward the valley. Thinking the deer was 

 probably going to the river for a drink, and that there would 

 be a better chance at him if on high ground, I climbed the 

 bank of the canyon and followed along its course expecting 

 every moment to come in sight of the deer. But I did not 

 see him. On reaching the place where the canyon came 

 out into the valley I found that the deer had gone clear to 

 the mouth of the canyon, and instead of going to the river, 

 had turned and gone back up the canyon again. The tracks 

 were very plain in the sand. I now followed the tracks up 

 the canyon and had gone perhaps a quarter of a mile when 

 on turning the point of a steep bank I came suddenly upon 

 the deer not more than forty steps off. My gun was already 

 cocked, but before I could take aim the deer was out of sight 

 going up a short, steep side draw. He came in sight again 

 just as he went out of the pocket at the top and taking a 

 snap shot at him I fired, not expecting to hit. Going to 

 the top of the bank, the deer was found lying on his side, 

 and trembling or shivering as if he was cold. Taking out 



