1 62 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



every two spurs making a deep pocket. The horse's 

 feet were unshod and he made very little noise, 

 coming down against the wind. While passing a 

 deep pocket I heard from within a snort and stamp- 

 ing of feet, the well-known sounds made by a 

 startled deer. Pulling up short I jumped off the 

 horse it was Manitou, who instantly began 

 feeding with perfect indifference to what he prob- 

 ably regarded as an irrational freak of his master; 

 and, aiming as well as I could in the gathering 

 dusk, held the rifle well ahead of a shadowy gray 

 object which was scudding along the base of the 

 hill toward the mouth of the pocket. The ball 

 struck in front of and turned the deer, which then 

 started obliquely up the hill. A second shot missed 

 it; and I then (here comes in the good of having 

 a repeater) knelt down and pointed the rifle against 

 the sky line, at the place where the deer seemed 

 likely to top the bluff. Immediately afterward the 

 buck appeared, making the last jump with a great 

 effort which landed him square on the edge, as 

 sharply outlined as a silhouette against the fading 

 western light. My rifle bead was just above him; 

 pulling it down I fired, as the buck paused for a 

 second to recover himself from his last great bound, 

 and with a crash the mighty antlered beast came 

 rolling down the hill, the bullet having broken his 

 back behind the shoulders, afterward going out 

 through his chest. 



At times a little caution must be used in ap- 

 proaching a wounded buck, for if it is not disabled 



