OF THE OLD WORLD. ] 89 



several guns, a carpet, brandy-panee, &c., wo went 

 to the salt-lick, a little before dusk, and, Laving 

 erected a kind of screen with bushes and branches, 

 comfortably established ourselves in front and to 

 leeward of an open space of ground, which w^as 

 covered with the footprints of different kinds of 

 deer. Our pole w^as planted in the ground some 

 half dozen paces in front, and when it got dark the 

 lamp was lighted, and a piece of bright tin (the lid 

 of a cowrie-box) placed behind, to serve as a re- 

 flector, and also to prevent the light from revealing 

 our ambuscade. 



We waited for nearly an hour without hearing or 

 seeing anything, when suddenly I thought I saw a 

 pair of bright eyes shining like stars from the thicket 

 in front of the light, and in a moment a low bark 

 informed me that my plan had succeeded, and that 

 a buck-elk was at hand. I whispered to the others 

 not to fire until I gave the signal — for I knew, from 

 the cry of the buck, that the herd was at hand ; and 

 in a few moments he stepped forward, barking, 

 stamping his hoofs, scratching his back with his 

 antlers, and staring at the light ; and almost imme- 

 diately he was followed by the rest of the herd, 

 which must have numbered nearly twenty. The 

 light engrossed all their attention, and they came 

 to within a dozen paces of it before I gave the 



signal to fire by a low " Coo." B , D , Chi- 



neah, and myself let drive double shots, and our 

 volley threw tlic herd into such confusion that some 



