MISCELLANEOUS. 28*7 



loading shot-gun, loaded with buckshot, and together we 

 three filed out through the pine forest and soon entered upon 

 one of the jack-pine plains, as the settlers call them. We 

 had not proceeded more than a mile over this plain when we 

 started a magnificent buck from his hiding-place. We were 

 walking single-file at the time, our guide in front and we fol- 

 lowing. As the dear sprang up our guide brought his rifle to his 

 shoulder and pulled, but his cartridge failed to go. He being 

 directly in front of me some twenty paces, and the deer run- 

 ning directly from us, prevented me from getting a fair shot 

 without endangering our guide's life. Still, as the buck 

 bounded slightly out of his line and plunged into a thicket, I 

 made a snap-shot and missed. As the Doctor was still in the 

 rear of both of us, it was impossible for him to shoot at all. 

 So at the end of this, our first inning, our score stood one 

 shot and one miss. 



However, we could scarcely regret our ill luck, for we were 

 so enraptured by the beauty and grace of this magnificent 

 animal as he arose from his hiding-place and bounded lightly 

 and gracefully away, like a phantom in the midnight air, or a 

 shadow on the wall, that, notwithstanding our greed for game, 

 we should surely have suffered severe remorse of conscience 

 had we succeeded in sacrificing his rich life. After this 

 episode, we hunted faithfully all day without getting another 

 shot. 



About three o'clock in the afternoon we separated, so as to 

 cover more ground. About the same time a heavy rain-storm 

 set in, which continued through the day and night. The 

 Doctor and the guide soon returned to camp by different 

 routes, but I continued in a northwesterly course to a large 

 tract of heavy, hardwood timber, where our guide had 

 informed me we would be more likely to find game at this 

 season than in the open pine woods or on the plains. I had 



