193 



gun. "It looks like a fawn," I de- 

 murred. It started to go on three 

 legs and I hesitated no longer. The 

 animal shot in the air, turned a 

 complete somersault and rolled a 

 hundred yards down the mountain 

 before a boulder stopped it, quite 

 dead. I am sure the Cap'n never 

 tells this story. 



Instead of hurrying toward it, 

 Nimrod sat down to rest. He 

 answered my amazed look by 



"That 'fantail' is a blacktail fawn. 

 Suspected it last night, but its track 

 was peculiar and the Cap'n was so 

 sure. I could not see it well last 

 night, and its being alone without 

 the mother was misleading." 



"Do you know where you are?" 

 he added I shook my head, too 

 chagrined for casual matters. 



"Up there is the ridge where the 

 lion killed that blacktail doe. Of 

 course the fawns would hang around 

 in the locality." 



" But the other?" I faltered. 



"Lion got it! I passed the re- 

 mains this morning but steered you 

 away. Your fawn was wounded, it 

 was better to finish " 



