302 CRUISINGS UN THE CASCADES 



presented a beautiful picture, as well as a fair, easy 

 target. 



"Now, my lad," I said to myself, "you are my 

 meat sure." 



I was so confident of success this time that I 

 scarcely took any aim at all. Again I scored an 

 inglorious miss and the deer started away on a series 

 of long, high bounds. I threw in another cartridge, 

 held ahead of him, and as he struck the ground the 

 second time I pulled for the third time. Then there 

 was a circus of a kind that a hunter rarely sees. 

 The buck fell to bucking, bleating, and kicking. 

 His hind feet would go into the air like a couple of 

 arrows and with such force that they would snap 

 like a whip cracker. Then he would rear on his hind 

 feet and paw the air; then jump side wise and back- 

 ward. He threw himself twice in his gyrations, and 

 each time was on his feet again almost before I 

 could realize that he had gone down. This gym- 

 nastic exhibition lasted perhaps two or three 

 minutes, during which time I was so paralyzed with 

 laughter that I could not have shot within six feet 

 of him if I had tried. Besides, I wanted to see the 

 performance out. Finally the bucker recovered his 

 wits and skipped out. I followed and found that 

 he was discharging blood at such a rate that he 

 could not go far. He went into a large thicket. I 

 jumped him three times before I could get a fair shot 

 at him, and could hear him wheeze every time I came 

 near him. Finally I saw him lying a few yards 

 away, but his head was still up and I sent a bullet 

 through his neck. On examination I found that 

 my first shot had cut the point of his breastbone 



