THE STILL HUNT. 123 



and yet smooth and waving as a field of grain, or a level 

 prairie. Here and there a water-oak reared itself from 

 the grass, twisting its great limbs on every side, shading 

 the sward below, and supporting wreaths of mistletoe 

 vines covered with waxen berries. But all else was one 

 free rustling field, grazed by the deer alone, and mowed 

 only by the winter fires or the hurricane. Over the 

 grass could be seen the marsh hawk wheeling along the 

 level in long slanting curves, while in the distance, where 

 a tall tree leaned over the eddies of the river, a solitary 

 eagle watched his primeval realm, where 



Unheeded spreads the blossomed bud 



Its milky bosom to the bee, 

 Unheeded falls along the flood 



The desolate and aged tree. 



This was a great pasture for the deer, and ever since 

 the creation thousands had spent the nights here, retir- 

 ing with the heat of the sun to the closer cover of the 

 pines. 



" I haint seen that air buck's tracks agin," said Mike ; 

 " I rather think he haint got in yet. "We'll go a leetle 

 further on to this ridge ; he will likely come down that 

 way, I reckon. Come, Yowler ?" and taking the long 

 ear of his dog in his hand to prevent him taking to the 

 meadow, we ran on to the ridge. By the side of the 

 ridge we found quite a well-beaten deer path leading 

 through an opening in the fringe of trees that sur- 

 rounded the meadow, and through this, from time 



