A hunter's life. 241 



brains. My sjDoils that morning were three tears, and a 

 magnificent buck, all fat, cleanly handled, and taken in a 

 very short time ; for, at a little after nine o'clock I was at 

 Iiome, eating my breakfast. 



Not long after this, a friend named George Riley, who 

 had done a stout job of mason work for me, came to see 

 us, with the view of taking a trip with me, and, as he said, 

 of learning how to hunt. The following morning, we set 

 out for the Little Crossings ; and, as we proceeded thither, 

 found the tracks of four deer, which we followed until we 

 overtook them, before they got sight of us. I shot and 

 wounded the leader ; but as the others did not leave her, 

 I fired a second time, killing one and again wounding a 

 third, when the remaining deer ran off. We then hung up 

 the carcass of the one we had killed, and afterwards fol 

 lowed the tracks of the two wounded ones, which, having 

 gone different ways, I took one track and Riley the other. 

 I had not gone far, when, discovering mine lying down, I 

 killed it ; and was cleaning the carcass, when Riley came 

 to me, saying that he could not get a shot at his. I went 

 with him to the spot where he had left it, and followed it 

 until we overtook it, I shot and killed it. We stowed the 

 meat carefully away, and went on to Mr. Cunningham's 

 farm, at the Cherry-tree Meadows, where Colonel Lynn 

 shot tlie bear which my dog had treed, 



Mr. Cunningham and his family having gone to Frede- 

 rick to spend the winter, there was no one there but Mr. 

 George W. Drane, who was taking care of the premises. 

 Drane being lonely, desired us to stay with him, to which 

 we agreed ; and while he and Riley were preparing sup- 

 per, I turned out to hunt during the remainder of the 

 evening. As I was walking lightly along, where I knew 

 the deer were in the habit of feeding, I saw one peeping 

 round a tree at me ; when, without delay, I let fly at his 

 head, and dowu he went. He proved to be a small one. 



