A hunter's life. 251 



gun-shot. Before I could load, however, lie went into a 

 thicket ; and in following his trail, I found, by the quan- 

 tity of blood after him, that he was badly wounded. 



I had a first-rate half-breed greyhound dog with me, 

 which, finding that I was going home, had crossed the 

 river ; but wheu he heard the report of the gun, he re- 

 turned to me. I sent him into the thicket, when out came 

 the buck, with the dog close at his heels. They passed 

 me like a streak of lightning, and down a steep hill into 

 the river, making such jumps as were really astonishing. 

 When I reached the edge of the water, I could see neither 

 dog nor deer ; but, looking down the stream, I discovered 

 them fighting with great desperation. The river was so 

 deep that they could get no foothold, and they had floated 

 down until they came to a ripple, at the head of a fall of 

 at least ten feet. Immediately below where the dog and 

 the deer were fighting, there was a hole in the river, about 

 twenty feet deep, out of which it would be almost impos- 

 sible to get the buck, if he once got into it ; so I con- 

 cluded to leave my gun on shore, wade in, and kill him 

 with ray knife. I set my gun against a tree, and waded 

 in — the water in some places being up to my belt, and in 

 other places about half-thigh deep. On I went until I 

 came within reach of the buck, which I seized by one of 

 his horns ; but as soon as I took hold, the dog let go, and 

 struck out for the shore, when the buck made a main lunge 

 at me. I then caught him by the other horn, though he 

 very nearly threw me backwards into the river ; but I held 

 on to him, as I was afraid of our both being carried into 

 the deep hole by the swift current. I dared not let him 

 go ; for if I did, I knew he would dart at me with his 

 horns. I must kill him, or he would in all probability 

 kill me ; but whenever I let go with one hand, for the 

 purpese of using my knife, he was ready to pitch at me. 



