EARLY DAY STORIES. 189 



much at such a time, and there is little chance of finding 

 it unless one stumbles on it by accident. However it proved 

 to be my lucky day, and something very unusual happened. 

 It is, as before stated, for the purpose of telling some of the 

 unusual and surprising things that sometimes happen to a 

 hunter that some of these stories are written. 



I had gone perhaps two miles from camp in a north- 

 westerly direction, following the general course of the 

 stream, but working gradually into the sand hills, when I 

 saw directly ahead, and about a quarter of a mile away, a 

 bunch of black tail deer . There were ten or twelve of them, 

 all lying down under the lee of a high sand ridge, well up 

 towards its top. Dropping down quickly into the grass I 

 watched them for some time, partly to discover, if possible, 

 whether they had seen me or not, and partly to find out the 

 best way of approach. Nearby, a short distance to my left, 

 was a small blow-out, and at its base were several clumps 

 of ash trees. Crawling through the grass to the cover thus 

 afforded, I was able to walk toward the game for some dis- 

 tance, as there was then one or two other little hills in range 

 with the deer that also furnished shelter from their sight. 

 As I was passing the blow-out a black tail buck very delib- 

 erately walked out of it over its northern rim within twenty 

 steps of where I was standing. He did not see me until the 

 motion of throwing the rifle to my shoulder drew his at- 

 tention, when he stopped, turned his head towards me, but 

 did not seem to be at all afraid. How many times since 

 have I thought, what a picture that would have made had 

 I been armed with a camera instead of a rifle. My conscience 

 almost smites me even today, when there comes to my mind 

 the thought of the time after time that I have been guilty 

 of taking advantage of those innocent animals when they 

 were utterly unaware of danger. Even at one time I shot 

 a black tail deer when he was asleep and nodding, exactly 

 as a drowsy person will do. Possibly I may tell of it some 



