i62 A Hunt after Deer 



towards the swamps and when once in the 

 water they were perfectly safe. Is it instinct 

 or reason that guides the deer's course thus? 

 On one occasion, while hunting in northern 

 Michigan, I had a very thrilling experience 

 with a large buck which for some reason or 

 other had taken to the water. We were 

 camped on a lake about five miles long and 

 half as wide, when something on the opposite 

 side of the lake attracted the attention of one 

 of the party. For some time we were trying to 

 make out what was going on. As near as we 

 could tell it was a man in a boat moving now 

 towards one shore, then towards the other. In 

 the meantime the apparition advancing to- 

 wards us, finally we could make out a man 

 standing up in a skiff, waving his hands now 

 and again. As we carried no field-glasses, it 

 was impossible to assign any reason for the 

 strange antics of the man in the boat. At 

 length one of the party shouted, " See the 

 buck in the water! " — when there was a stam- 

 pede for the guns and into our boat we 

 jumped, one to man the oars, another in the 

 bow with the Winchester, and the third in the 



