Hunting from the Ranch 49 



for some time, and then sauntered slowly off, re- 

 maining within shot for at least five minutes. For- 

 tunately we had plenty of meat at the time, and 

 there was no necessity to harm the graceful crea- 

 tures. A few days later we came on two bucks 

 sunning themselves in the bottom of a valley. My 

 companion killed one. The other was lying but a 

 dozen rods off; yet it never moved, until several 

 shots had been fired at the first. It was directly un- 

 der me, and, in my anxiety to avoid overshooting, 

 to my horror I committed the opposite fault, and 

 away went the buck. 



Every now and then any one will make most un- 

 accountable misses. A few days after thus losing 

 the buck I spent nearly twenty cartridges in butcher- 

 ing an unfortunate yearling, and only killed it at all 

 because it became so bewildered by the firing that 

 it hardly tried to escape. I never could tell why I 

 used so many cartridges to such little purpose. Dur- 

 ing the next fortnight I killed seven deer without 

 making a single miss, though some of the shots were 

 rather difficult. 



VOL. II. 



