THE NEW-ENGLAND SCHOOL-MASTER. 103 



wood for the coming night's consumption. The day had 

 boon dark and gloomy; the season, Indian summer; the 

 hour, as far as I judged, three in the afternoon, when, to 

 my surprise, I heard the report of a gun in the direction 

 of camp. As the school-master, from want of success, had 

 almost given up the use of his gun, the report struck me 

 as ominous of evil, so I hurried rapidly forward to discover 

 what could have induced him to shoot, nor was I long kept 

 in suspense, for in an opening, a few yards in front, I saw 

 a fine stag Wapitti engaged in a determined battle with 

 my comrade. The deer was on three legs, one of the fore 

 ones being smashed below the knee, while my companion, 

 with his gun clubbed, carefully watched his assailant. For- 

 tunately for the school-master, the stag's agility was seri- 

 ously impeded by the shattered limb, or the contest would 

 have been ere this finished ; as it was, he had to display 

 his activity, and rivaled in it any French dancing-master I 

 had ever met. But for the rapid evolutions of assailed and 

 assailant, I could have easily killed the deer; but twice as 

 I was about to press the trigger the wrong object was in 

 the line of fire. The, position of this eccentric man was not 

 without danger ; yet when I approached the combatants to 

 give him assistance, I was almost rendered incapable of the 

 task by the risibility of the whole affair; for even in his 

 most adroit movements, even when the foe's antlers were 

 within a foot of his body, he kept chanting through his 

 nasal organ something or other about letting the hills re- 

 sound, only stopping in his vocal exhibition when he struck 

 the assailant a blow with the butt of his musket, when the 

 exclamation, " One for his knob," would come from his lips 

 with much emphasis. 



At length my approach was perceived, when he retreat- 

 ed toward me, expressing his conviction that he had never 

 doubted that the Lord would send him succor. After the 



