98 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



one is killed, the others will generally get out as fast as they 

 can without stopping. By keeping on the lowest ground, 

 stooping over and walking half bent, and part of the way 

 going on hands and knees, I managed to get within fifty 

 or sixty rods without being seen. The ground now between 

 me and the deer was perfectly level, and partly covered with 

 grass waist high. I now made good progress on hands and 

 knees without being discovered until I was near enough for 

 a long shot, when all at once one of the deer had a glimpse 

 of my hat, as my body was entirely hidden by the tall grass. 

 I had taken the precaution to trim my hat with grass, so 

 that it was completely covered, but the deer had seen the 

 motion of my head. The nearest deer started at once to 

 run toward me, followed by the other, as they will often do 

 when they discover an object in motion near the ground. 

 Had I been standing up straight these deer would have run 

 off at first sight, and there would have been little chance 

 for a shot. As it was, the nearest one came up within sev- 

 enty-five or eighty steps and stopped to gaze. Rising care- 

 fully to my knees, with the gun all ready for firing, I brought 

 the nearest one down in its tracks — the other ran away, 

 but stopped, turned broadside and gave a splendid chance 

 for a shot as the tall grass did not interfere at all as it did 

 in the first instance. I got both deer with a single shot 

 at each, which is doing much better than usual. They were 

 white-tails, a buck and a doe, and both in splendid condi- 

 tion. 



Two things are necessary to make a first-rate hunter. 

 The first essential is, to know how to find and approach 

 the game — the second is to be a good shot. A man may 

 be a first-rate marksman and a very poor hunter; on the 

 other hand, he may be an indifferent marksman and yet 

 be a pretty good hunter. To become a successful hunter 

 one must study the habits of the wild animals, must know 

 their haunts, how to approach the game, and where to ex- 



