CATCHING A FAWN. 75 



and better'n a regular Ingin too; and its that that 

 keeps his hands off of anybody he don't like," 



We spent the day in coasting this lake. We found 

 abundant evidence that it was much frequented by the 

 deer, in the night season. Indeed, as I stated before, 

 we saw them even in the day-time feeding along the 

 margin of the lake. As we rounded a wooded point, 

 that extended some distance into the lake, we came 

 upon a doe and two fawns, swimming in a little bay, 

 into which we suddenly entered. By a vigorous pull 

 we got between one of them and the shore. Terror 

 was stronger in the mother than the love for her off- 

 spring, and she bounded away into the forest, leaving 

 them to shift for themselves. I said we cut off one of 

 the fawns from the shore : after various turnings and 

 windings, we succeeded in catching the little fellow, 

 and taking him into our canoe. He was horribly 

 frightened at first, and bleated and struggled desper- 

 ately to get away ; but after a little, finding itself un- 

 hurt, and that it could not escape, it seemed to resign 

 itself to its fate ; its terror abated, and it lay quietly in 

 my arms. After patting and fondling it in a soothing 

 way, I sat it down loose between my feet in the bot- 

 tom of the canoe. It made no further effort at escape, 



