A hunter's life. 26is 



of deer; but beiug encumbered with our loads, we did not 

 get a shot at them. 



At last we discovered the saddle of venison which we 

 had left when we were up before, and turned in to seek a 

 situation for a camp, which took a couple of hours. Find- 

 ing it clouding up, and threatening rain, I went to work 

 in great haste to construct a shelter for our provision ; and 

 we worked with all our energy, until the boys said they 

 were hungry, and would eat their dinner, camp or no 

 camp. I then told them that I would go and look for a 

 good tree, to split up into puncheons, and that they must 

 come to me as soon as they could. I readily found a suit- 

 able tree, and felled it, when the lads coming to my assist- 

 ance, we soon cut it up, split it into slabs, and commenced 

 covering our cabin. The rain was then beginning to fall 

 slowly, which was the time for the game to come from 

 their hiding-places, and feed. We had our provision under 

 cover, but there were three slabs yet lacking to complete 

 the roof of our shelter. Though I had not eaten any- 

 thing since the morning of the previous day, and night 

 was near at hand, yet 1 determined not to eat until I had 

 a little sport ; so I took up my gun, and told the boys that 

 I would go up the bottom, shoot a deer, and have a roast 

 for my supper, 



I had thrown off all my clothes, in order to be at full 

 liberty to work, and had on only a thin linsey hunting- 

 shirt, together with a pair of new buckskin moccasins, 

 without stockings ; and in order that I should see my 

 game more clearly, I left ofif my hat, as was always my 

 practice when the sun did not shine. Thus accoutred, I 

 started out, with the expectation of returning again within 

 an hour or two, at farthest. Being keen for sport, I 

 scarcely felt the ground under my feet ; but poor sport it 

 turned ou. to be in the end. I hunted with care and 

 judgment, and presently my fine half-breed greyhound told 



