204 THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



such a charge could be well maintained. His habits are 

 above reproach ; he neither drinks nor smokes, and in all 

 things is a plain matter-of-fact person, not even given to 

 fiction nor any sort of exaggeration. Having completed 

 the examination of this spot, we turned slowly away from 

 it and walked side by side, possibly about ten rods, when 

 the captain discovered a fine buck that had been feeding 

 within fifty yards of us. I saw this beautiful animal a few 

 seconds later than my guide. 



The captain said, " Let me now try my skill on this 

 deer since I have failed on the moose." The rifle was 

 then raised ; the captain took an unusually long time in 

 taking aim, but the gun was finally discharged ; the buck 

 sprang high into the air, and all was quiet once more. 



The captain quickly remarked, " I killed that deer, al- 

 though I have so surprisingly failed to-day with the 

 moose." There had been considerable delay after the 

 shooting. Our conversation, in the mean while, had not 

 related to this buck ; in fact, neither of us thought much 

 of this affair, but we naturally conversed on the more ex- 

 citing chase of the moose ; consequently, when we went 

 in search of the carcass, it was not until after much delay 

 that we could find even the spot where the animal stood 

 when the shot was fired. Having at first been baffled in 

 our search, we returned to the spot where we were stand- 

 ing when the shot was delivered, took our directions from 

 this point, then found the animal's tracks in the snow, but 

 were still unable to find his body ; however, when we 

 circled around these imprints, we found the object of our 

 search within twenty feet of the point where he had re- 



