308 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



the trap back up to where it was set and reset it then I went back 

 down the hollow to where I had left the bear skin and took it 

 on my shoulder and made tracks down the hollow to the main 

 creek where I had a string of deadfalls 'set for mink and coon. 

 The bear skin was about 'all the load I cared to tote, but I had not 

 gone far down the creek before I had the skins of two good sized 

 coon and one mink tied to my load. The coon and mink skins 

 I could get in my knapsack so they did not bother much. 



After following the creek a distance of about one mile I left 

 the creek and went up a long narrow sawtooth point to cross the 

 divide to the Cross Fork waters where I had some bear, fox and 

 marten <traps set. When I was about two-thirds of the way up 

 this point I stopped at the side of a large rock which would 

 shelter me from the cold wind. The point was covered with low 

 laurel. I had been watching down the side of the hill to see if I 

 could not catch sight of some animal on the move, but I had not 

 got a glimpse of even a squirrel. 



I had about finished my lunch, when I saw the motion of some- 

 thing move in the laurel, forty or fifty yards below me. I picked 

 up my gun and stood watching, when I again caught sight of the 

 animal and in a moment I saw the horns of a deer. I could get 

 the outline of the deer's body so I said, "Now or never," and let go 

 the best I could at the bunch, but when the smoke from the gun 

 was gone, I could neither see nor hear anything but stood ready 

 with my gun to my shoulder. I again saw a part of a deer move 

 in an open space in the laurel. I again fired at the bunch with the 

 remark that I guessed that I could drive him out of there after 

 a while. 



I left the bear skin and knapsack at the rock, knowing that the 

 rock would be a good landmark to find them by and went down 

 through the laurel to see what effect my shot had. When I got to 

 where the deer were, when I shot, I readily saw plenty of blood 

 on the green laurel leaves and I only had a few steps to. go when 

 I saw the buck lying dead. I cut his throat and stood waiting for 

 the blood -to stop flowing and saw a trail that was fresh. I could 

 readily tell by the way the leaves and ground were torn up that the 



