AMERICAN DEER. 99 



is hailed with delight as their halting place : a solitary 

 dwelling, half-buried in snow, at the edge of an endless 

 forest, and miles away from any other habitation. 



At early morn, clothed in a blanket suit, and armed 

 with knife and rifle, the hunter is on his way to the 

 forest, accompanied by some squatter or half-breed guide. 







A slight fall of snow having taken place during the 

 night is a subject of mutual congratulation, for the 

 crunching of a frozen surface is obviously a serious 

 drawback to still -hunting, besides which, the freshly 

 sprinkled surface renders the trail more easy to follow. 



After making a detour, more or less extended, in order 

 to get an up-wind beat, they hit fresh trail, and after a 

 careful reconnoissance proceed with redoubled caution. 

 Shortly the appearance of moving objects causes them 

 to crouch suddenly behind the nearest tree, and after a 

 whispered consultation one creeps stealthily round 

 towards a point for which the Deer are likely to make, 

 while the other is left to approach them with all the skill 

 and address he is possessed of. 



After carefully noting the next point of cover for 

 an advance, he commences cautiously to glide from tree 

 to stump, and from stump to bush, watching with 

 breathless anxiety, at each point gained, the movements 

 of the herd before him. A noble buck with branching- 

 antlers drops behind his companions, to enjoy the luxury 



H 2 



