'IN THE FAR WEST. 301 



standing the many horn blasts that came echoing towards me, 

 as a signal for a rally. Finding there was no immediate 

 prospect that they would appear, I started to rejoin my 

 comrades, but I had not proceeded half a mile before a full- 

 grown doe started out of a clump of hazel and dogwood 

 bushes, not ten yards in front of me. She made for the river 

 at once, with the hounds in full cry behind her, and I started 

 after them, taking every advantage of cross cuts to try and head 

 her off. When I reached the stream I could hear the hounds 

 baying a short distance below, and, on drawing near, I saw 

 them grouped around the quarry in the water, and worrying 

 her. Having a forty-one calibre pocket revolver in my belt, 

 I put it in my mouth, undressed myself, and swam towards 

 the growling hounds, which were fastened to the poor bleat- 

 ing freature in every available part ; and placing my weapon 

 near her ear I killed her with the first shot. With the aid 

 of the dogs, which still held on to her, I pushed her ashore 

 with one hand, while I used the other for swimming; and 

 on landing I dressed in a hurry and ran as fast as I could for 

 several hundred yards in order to warm myself, and take 

 away the chill, for the water was very cold. I left the animal 

 where it lay on the bank, and started to join the remainder of 

 the party, and these I soon found, as they were following the 

 cries of the dogs, not so much in hopes of getting a shot at a 

 deer, as to keep the choristers from straying too far. With 

 their aid the doe was taken back to where the buck was lying, 

 and the two were carried to a central position, where others 

 were placed with them. I then learned that the cause of 

 the sudden silence of the dogs was due to the death of the 

 animal they were pursuing, and that four others had been 

 started out of a fern brake and all killed. 



As we had had plenty sport for the day, having bagged 

 fourteen deer, we returned to camp, and while some attended 

 to cooking dinner, others took two waggons to bring in the 

 slain. We feasted that evening on venison, fresh trout, grouse, 

 and our own edibles, but the chief dish was a stag's head, 

 roasted whole in the ashes. 



Notwithstanding our hard day's work, all were in excellent 



