A hunter's life. 339 



as I could, I picked out and shot the smallest deer, believ- 

 ing it to be the most tender, and the best venison. It 

 turned out to be a very large buck, and in better plight 

 than I expected to see them so early in the spring, it being 

 then about the first week in May. I skinned the fore-part, 

 but left the hind-part whole in the skin ; after which I 

 carefully cut all the flesh off the fore-part, and taking a 

 small cord, I sewed up the skin, and putting all the meat 

 into it, tied it up, and started for home. 



Night coming on, I heard a wild gobbler making a great 

 noise as he was seated on his roost. I let him brag and 

 gobble until it was so dark that he could not see me on 

 the ground, though I could still see him on the tree, when 

 I crept softly on until I was near enough to be sure of my 

 game. I then fired at and secured him. After taking out 

 his entrails, I packed him in the buck's skin with my veni- 

 son, and continued my course for a short distance toward 

 home ; when I made a fire, and lay down for the night. 



As soon as daylight appeared I heard gobblers in all 

 directions ; but thinking I had enough for one man to 

 carry, I went on, and left them to gobble as much as thej 

 pleased. 



Becoming tired, I sat down to rest ; when, hearing a 

 turkey gobble close to me, I spoke a few words in the tur- 

 key language. In a minute he came to see, as he thought, 

 a new sweetheart ; but the crack of my gun convinced him 

 of his error. I took out his entrails, and put him also in 

 my buckskin sack, which then contained the whole saddle 

 of the buck, all the flesh of the fore-part, and the two tur- 

 key gobblers. 



I went on with my load for half a mile, when I arrived 

 at Dr. Brooke's. He weighed my burden, and found it to 

 be eighty-seven pounds ; and, as I had yet eight miles to 

 travel to my home, I was satisfied for that spring. 



