344 Sporting Sketches 



nostrils and ears, ever watch the backward trail, or 

 sift the telltale air for the faintest evidence of 

 danger; cunning brains, quickened by an irresistible 

 dread of man, evolve schemes of doubling and dodg- 

 ing and crafty concealment ; and strong, fleet limbs, 

 that can laugh at miles of heavy going, are ever 

 ready to bear their owner far from the dreaded 

 pursuer creeping through the cover. 



More often than not, the sportsman's toil is all in 

 vain. After exercising the perfection of his craft and 

 calling forth all his reserves of skill gained in years of 

 experience, after enduring for hours the long agony 

 of hope deferred, at last, when the hard-earned op- 

 portunity is almost grasped, some totally unexpected 

 combination of " hard luck " a stumble, a misstep, a 

 sudden shifting of the breeze, the deflection of a 

 bullet by an unseen twig, or one or other of the 

 many things which can mar a still-hunter's success 

 intervenes, and naught perhaps remains but a toil- 

 some tramp of miles before camp is reached. 



Nor is the chase of such quarry altogether devoid of 

 personal danger. The cervidce may be timid animals 

 enough as a general rule, but they can fight like 

 demons under certain conditions, and when fairly at 

 bay, their strength and agility make them exceed- 

 ingly dangerous. Even a male Virginia deer, if 

 wounded and thoroughly angered, is no mean 

 antagonist for a strong man to face. His sharp 

 fore feet cut like daggers, and one of his lightning- 

 like blows, fairly planted, would probably maim or 

 mark a man for life. A bull moose or caribou, if 

 wounded or too hard pressed , in deep snow, will 

 fight in short order, and woe betide the man who 



