A HUNTER'S LIFE 305 



to the hunt ; but the day was cold, the leaves frozen, and 

 the snow not deep enough to deaden the noise of my foot- 

 steps. But on I went with all caution, and presently en- 

 tering a large flat piece of land, covered with sugar maples, 

 at a great distance I saw another very large buck coming 

 directly towards me. 



" Well, old fellow," said I, " I '11 be bail you shall feel 

 what my new gun can do, or it shall not be my fault ; " 

 for I had thought that, being in the dusk of the evening 

 before, I had taken an erroneous aim, and missed ; but I 

 was determined this time to make good my former error. 

 On came the buck until he was as near as I wished him, 

 when I stopped him by speaking in a low voice. I took 

 good aim, and fired at him, when he raised his tail and 

 galloped off, while I stood astonished ; for I had shot ai 

 a distance of not more than thirty yards, and I knew that 

 I could have shot his eye out if the gun had proved true. 

 I had lost my old hunting dog, and had with me the slut 

 from which I raised my good dogs. She was standing 

 behind me when I fired, and as the buck ran around me, 

 she took a straight course for him, and cut oft" the distance 

 so much, that when I saw them last she was close behind 

 him. I thought that the leaves had made so much 

 noise, that the buck did not know she was near him ; but 

 when he found her so close, he turned to fight her off. 

 Being partly a bull-dog breed, she seized him by the nose, 

 and held on until she mashed his nose up to his eyes, and 

 crushed both eyes entirely out. After firing my second 

 shot, I was so confused and dismayed that I was longer 

 than usual in loading again ; but when I had nearly re- 

 loaded, hearing the dog make a surly growl, I was sure 

 she was engaged in a fight with something. I hurried to 

 the place, and there saw her hanging to the buck's nose- 

 The buck made the most desperate lunges at her ; but at 

 every attempt she ran between his legs, when as quick as 

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