204 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



at all as yet, for the other two, instead of looking toward 

 us, ran off a few rods and stopped to watch the fallen deer. 

 Another shot brought down the second deer. I believe I 

 might have gotten the third one, but in changing my posi- 

 tion to get a better chance it saw me and immediately ran 

 away, a long distance parting shot failing to hit. We hunt- 

 ed one more day without success, and as the weather con- 

 tinued very cold and somewhat stormy, we pulled out for 

 home. 



One day in 1872, I was hunting in Greeley county to 

 get some game for our surveyors' outfit when I got a black 

 tail doe by lying in wait. I had nearly crossed a valley and 

 was making for some rough hills about half a mile to the 

 north, when I distinctly heard three or four shots in quick 

 succession. Watching in the direction of the sound, I soon 

 saw a black tail doe coming out through a narrow gap in 

 the hills, and making directly toward me. There was no 

 chance to hide from her as the ground was perfectly level 

 where I was standing, and the grass was short. Crouching 

 down as low as possible and still be in a position to shoot, 

 I made ready in case she came near. She was running fast, 

 and without noticing me at all, she was passing within a 

 dozen rods, when aiming well ahead of her breast I pulled 

 the trigger. She fell at the crack of the rifle, shot through 

 both hips, the passage of the ball spoiling quite a bit of the 

 best part of the meat. Had I aimed at the shoulders the 

 ball would have gone entirely behind her. 



In November, 1871, Mr. E. R. Palmer of Cedar creek 

 and myself were hunting in Greeley county in company with 

 C. P. Mathewson, John S. McClary and W. H. Lowe of 

 Norfolk, and a man by the name of Porter (I think that is 

 the name) of Dakota City, when I had quite an experience 

 with an elk for which I lay in wait. A company of six is 

 too large to do successful hunting, but as the weather was 

 good, and game was plenty and tame, we were having pretty 



