292 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



west side of the Big Yough. River, which rises within 

 two or three miles of the head of the Potomac, wntil we 

 reached that fine tract of country called " The Land flowing 

 with Milk and Honey." 



This place was so well stocked with deer, that I wanted 

 to stop there, as it was not more than eight or ten miles 

 from home; but Hugh wishing to see the Potomac, we 

 kept on. 



Presently I saw a tremendous buck, " hunting," as it is 

 called, when, in mating season, bucks travel a great part 

 of their time in search of does. This big fellow was tra- 

 veling on this business ; and as the ground was hard 

 frozen, with no wind to drown the noise of his tread, I 

 could hear every step he made. When he walked, I would 

 walk too ; and when he stopped, I would stop also. By 

 this means I kept getting nearer and nearer ; and after a 

 while, finding a bush full of dry leaves, he went to it, and 

 rushed his great horns into it ; making such a noise round 

 his own ears, that I took advantage of it, and while be 

 was pleasing himself by fighting the bush, I ran up as 

 near to him as I wished, took my stand, and waited until 

 he had done amusing himself, when he walked a few steps 

 and made a full stop, with his side fairly exposed to me. 

 Then it was that my heavily-loaded rifle belched forth fire 

 and brimstone, sending a heavy ball through his heart, 

 killing him so quickly that he had not time to see who had 

 done it 



This being one of the best kind of bucks, we took out 

 his entrails, secured the carcass from animals and birds, 

 and, pursuing our journey, reached the State Road at Mr. 

 Johnson's tavern. As he was a pleasant man, we staid 

 all night with him, and the next morning continued our 

 journey toward the Potomac, until we crossed the gi'eat 

 Back-Bone Mountain. 



As it had clouded up thickly, and the wind and snow 



