IN THE FAR WEST. 271 



were off like a flash the moment they espied us. I always 

 found it an exceedingly difficult matter to approach does when 

 their fawns were with them, as they fled immediately on 

 beholding any strange object, and the crackling of boughs or 

 the brushing of leaves caused them to stampede even before 

 the hunter appeared in sight. Their long ears catch sounds 

 a great distance off, and their sight is also fairly sharp, so that 

 one has to move in the most circumspect manner, and halt 

 frecpuently, if he would bag them. We found it a much easier 

 matter to stalk the stags than the does, so we concluded that 

 we had not improved our prospects much by a change of camp. 

 We kept up our hope, however, and toiled away until near 

 sunset, when we came suddenly upon a group of does and 

 fawns as they were drinking in a ravine, a few feet below us. 

 We approached them so cautiously that they did not hear us, 

 and it was not until we stood over them that they detected 

 our presence. On recognizing us, however, they were off like 

 a shot, and as they dashed up the opposite side we let drive at 

 them. Following in rapid pursuit, we found one dead within 

 a distance of three hundred yards, the ball having entered the 

 spinal column at the root of the tail, and from traces of blood 

 seen further on we deduced that another was wounded. We 

 followed the trail at a rapid run for a mile or more, but not 

 seeing anything of the injured animal we returned to the slain 

 one, and carried it to camp by slinging it on a pole by the 

 hind-legs, and placing the pole on our shoulders. The first 

 doe killed was brought in a little later, and all our trophies- 

 were then placed togethei*, after the viscera were drawn. 



We hunted in these mountains seven days, and killed twenty 

 deer, a few wolves, and several brace of pine hens ; but we 

 could have done much better if we had kept to the peaks 

 instead of the foot-hills, for the stags, cautious as they may be, 

 cannot be compared in this characteristic with does having 

 fawns by their sides. Our departure homeward was hastened 

 by having a polecat invade our camp, an intrusion which the 

 dog resented, so he killed it, but not before he received such a 

 shower of perfume as made him the bane of every person he 

 came in contact with for a week or two afterwards. 



