90 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



for he knows thar is something wrong hereabout, and having seen 

 us once, he '11 know it 's us." 



So we waited patiently until the turkey brood had sauntered 

 down the woods, and then emerged from our place of concealment. 

 Mike ran ahead in a stooping posture, and I followed close behind, 

 running when he ran, and halting when he stopped. The first run 

 we made was comparatively easy, for an immense pine-tree, made 

 doubly large by a large grape-vine that wound around it aDd hung 

 in clusters by its trunk, fully concealed our approach Here we 

 took another survey of the ground and the game, and then, when 

 a tree intervened between us and the head of the deer, which stood 

 with his side toward us, we ran forward again until the deer 

 wagged his tail, when we halted, in whatever position we might be. 



It may be necessary to explain, for the benefit of those who 

 have never learned the fact from deer-stalking, that a deer feeds 

 and watches at irregular intervals, and that always a second before 

 raising his head, either to walk forward, or to cast a glance of 

 watchfulness around him, he gives his white tail a quick whisk 

 or two. The knowledge of this simple and peculiar habit is of 

 immense use to the still-hunter, who is thus forewarned when to 

 advance, and when to lie still 



Thus by quick and short advances we approached to within a 

 very long shot of our deer. My heart was beating thick and fast, 

 and the sweat of great mental excitement stood in drops on my 

 face, and rolled in my eyes, causing me to wipe them with my 

 sleeve every minute. 



" Now," whispered Mike, " ef yer want to try him, yer must 

 crawl alone while I wait ; we can't get any nearer together, but 

 mind his tail." 



So Mike laid still behind the weeds that were sheltering us, 

 while I went on alone. Horatius advancing before the Eoman 

 army to defend the bridge, could not have felt more keenly the 

 prominence of his position under the eyes of all Eome, than I did 

 as I stalked forward, under the keen eye of Mike the Spook, to 

 shoot that deer. First I had a little shrub between me and the 

 buck, and about twenty feet ahead ; to this I advanced safely. As 

 I arrived, the deer whisked his tail and looked round. Waiting a 



