306 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



to the front, and pushes for the body of the man. The instant 

 a tine touches the soft breast or abdomen, he lunges forward 

 to drive it in. But thanks to that life-saving slow start, the 

 man is mercifully afforded a few seconds of time in which to 

 save himself, or at least delay the punishment. 



No man ever should enter the enclosure of a "bad" deer, or 

 any buck deer in the rut, without a stout and tough club or 

 pitchfork for defense. Of the two weapons, the former is the 

 best. 



In the first place, keep away from all bad deer, especially 

 between October and January first. If you are beset, follow 

 these instructions, as you value your life: 



If unarmed, seize the deer by the antlers before he touches 

 your vitals, hold on for all you are worth, and shout for help. 

 Keep your feet, just as long as you possibly can. Never mind 

 being threshed about, so long as you keep your feet and keep the 

 lines out of your vitals. Your three hopes are (i) that help 

 will come, (2) or that you can come within reach of a club or 

 some shelter, or (3) that the animal will hi some manner decide 

 to desist, a most forlorn hope. 



With a good club, or even a stout walking-stick, you have a 

 fighting chance. As the animal lowers his head and comes 

 close up to impale you on his spears of bone, hit him a smashing 

 blow across the side of his head, or his nose. In a desperate sit- 

 uation, aim at the eye, and lay on the blows. If your life is in 

 danger from a buck elk or a large deer, do not hesitate about 

 putting out an eye for him. What are a thousand deer eyes 

 compared with a twelve inch horn thrust through your stomach? 

 My standing instructions to our keepers of dangerous animals 

 are: " Save your own life, at all hazards. Don't let a dangerous 

 animal kill you. T^HI any animal rather than let it kill you !" 



It is useless to strike a charging deer on the top of its head, 

 or on its antlers. Give a sweeping side blow for the unprotected 

 cheek and jaw, or the tender nose. There is nothing that a club 

 can do that is so disconcerting as the eye and nose attack, for 

 a badly injured eye always shuts both eyes, automatically. 



