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in the evening they could frequently be seen 

 from the door, as they came out to feed. In 

 walking out after sunset, or in riding home 

 when night had fallen, we would often run 

 across them when it was too dark to make 

 out any thing but their flaunting white tails 

 as they cantered out of the way. Yet for 

 all their seeming familiarity they took good 

 care not to expose themselves to danger. 

 We were reluctant to molest them, but one 

 day, having performed our usual weekly or 

 fortnightly feat of eating up about every 

 thing there was in the house, it was deter- 

 mined that the two deer (for it was late in 

 autumn and they were then well grown) 

 should be sacrificed. Accordingly one of 

 us sallied out, but found that the sacrifice 

 was not to be consummated so easily, for 

 the should-be victims appeared to distin- 

 guish perfectly well between a mere passer- 

 by, whom they regarded with absolute in- 

 difference, and any one who harbored sin- 

 ister designs. They kept such a sharp 

 look-uui, and made off so rapidly if any 



