A PRIZE — curly's mishap. 251 



sifted of dried venison, slices of bacon, maize bread, 

 and coffee — a princely rej^ast for the forest, but we 

 hoped to have fresh meat on the morrow. 



We breakfasted with the first gleam of light, fed the 

 dogs, and related stories till it was light enough to see 

 the sights on the muzzles of the rifles ; then taking our 

 preconcerted directions, we trod lightly and cautiously 

 over the dried leaves. A little before sunrise I heard 

 the crack of Curly's rifle ; a few minutes later a second 

 report, then a third. I stood still for about a quarter 

 of an hour, in case a frightened deer should bound past. 

 Nothing moved ; I continued my march. I had not 

 gone far when I saw a majestic buck at a walk. I 

 crept lightly to a right angle with his course ; when 

 about eighty yards off, I gave a hail : he stopped, and 

 my ball pierced his shoulder; after a few bounds, he 

 lay struggling in the yellow leaves. Bearsgrease rushed 

 after him, but finding him already dead, he only licked 

 the wound, and lay quietly beside him, waiting for his 

 Blmre of the prize. I took the skin and the two legs, 

 hanging the latter on a tree with the skin over them, 

 cut a few bits of the rest for Bearsgrease, leaving the 

 remainder for the wolves and vultures, and continued my 

 march. Soon after I heard a shot, about a hundred 

 yards off on the other side of a thick jungle, and pro- 

 ceeded towards the sound. It turned out to be Curly, 

 who had killed a turkey ; he was lying under a tree, 

 and told me, with a mournful visage, that, having 

 wounded a buck, he was following him over some loose 

 stones, when lie sprained his ankle, and could hardly 

 move, being obhged to leave the wounded deer to its 

 fate. 



