WILDERNESS RESERVES 299 



quarters of the officers and men and the various hotel 

 buildings, stables, residences of the civilian officials, etc., 

 almost completely surround the big parade-ground at 

 the post, near the middle of which stands the flag-pole, 

 while the gun used for morning and evening salutes is 

 well off to one side. There are large gaps between some 

 of the buildings, and Major Pitcher informed me that 

 throughout the winter he had been leaving alfalfa on the 

 parade-grounds, and that numbers of blacktail deer had 

 been in the habit of visiting it every day, sometimes as 

 many as seventy being on the parade-ground at once. 

 As spring-time came on the numbers diminished. How- 

 ever, in mid-afternoon, while I was writing in my room 

 in Major Pitcher's house, on looking out of the win- 

 dow I saw five deer on the parade-ground. They were 

 as tame as so many Alderney cows, and when I walked 

 out I got within twenty yards of them without any dif- 

 ficulty. It was most amusing to see them as the time 

 approached for the sunset gun to be fired. The notes of 

 the trumpeter attracted their attention at once. They 

 all looked at him eagerly. One of them resumed feeding, 

 and paid no attention whatever either to the bugle, the 

 gun or the flag. The other four, however, watched the 

 preparations for firing the gun with an intent gaze, and 

 at the sound of the report gave two or three jumps; then 

 instantly wheeling, looked up at the flag as it came down. 

 This they seemed to regard as something rather more sus- 

 picious than the gun, and they remained very much on 

 the alert until the ceremony was over. Once it was fin- 

 ished, they resumed feeding as if nothing had happened. 



