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the scaffold by a ladder which I drew up after me, 

 and patiently awaited the approach of the deer. If 

 none came during the day, I prepared a torch of 

 pitch pine, sometimes adding lard or bear's grease, 

 which I swung upon a pole reaching from the scaf- 

 fold to the ground. The torch was attached to a 

 crane of withes and bark, made to slide upon the 

 pole, and slipped down by a cord to within three 

 feet of the ground. As the deer came along, they 

 would stop and stare &t the light, forming an easy 

 mark for me. When alone in these expeditions, I 

 was always provided with two guns, a musket and a 

 rifle. If several deer came at once within shot, I 

 iired the musket, which was loaded with buckshot, 

 and the deer frequently stood fixed to the spot, not 

 knowing which way to flee, and I could kill three or 

 four before coming down from the scaffold. Besides 

 the light near the ground, I had another upon the 

 scaffold, about as high as my head, and when firing 

 from the scaffold, I raised the gun above the range 

 of the deer, and lower it gradually until the end of 

 the barrel became dark, and then fire, scarcely ever 

 missing my aim. When I fired from the ground by 

 torchlight, I pointed the gun below the game, and 

 raised it till the end became dark. After killing the 

 first ones, there is no further chance that night, as 

 the smell of the blood will frighten away the deer. 

 I generally had a companion and a dog, and one of 

 us remained at a distance with the dog, while the 

 other watched from the scaffold. In the morning, if 

 any were wounded, we set the dog on the track, if 



