VIRGINIAN DEER. 149 



direction of the noise, was immetliately the instinct 

 of Pompe}'. There, before him, at the foot of a 

 tree, lay a man on the point of death, and in him 

 Pompey recognised his brother Ctesar, mortally 

 wounded by a rifle ball, and bathed in his own 

 blood. In broken words, Ctesar told his brother 

 that, having occasion to seek the aid of a doctor for 

 his wife, he had started off for that purpose. On 

 arriving close to the bean-field, he had found the fire 

 still burning. Curiosity had attracted him towards 

 the spot, and when, in spite of the resistance of his 

 horse, he got up to the hedge, a gun went off, and 

 he felt that he was hit by a bullet. In reply to his 

 cry of agon}', a poacher rushed forward to help him, 

 and entreated him, on his knees, to pardon the 

 fatal mistake. He had taken the mule for a stag ; 

 but, as he was in the midst of his explanations, 

 Pompey and his mare came up, and the poacher 

 had fled. 



The accident proved fatal to Caesar, and it had 

 such an effect upon Pompey, that he made a full 

 confession to Mr. Piensora, when that gentleman 

 arrived next day, of everything that had happened. 

 Slouch was dismissed, and as he could get no satis- 

 factory character, soon embarked for California. 

 Pompey was promoted to succeed him, b}' no means 

 to Mr. Peusom's disadvantage. 



I have another story of the kind, in which I 

 played the part of hero myself. One fine autumn 



