ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN SEPTEMBER 275 

 CHAPTER XL 



THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN SEPTEMBER 



For a final leaflet under this heading my notebook serves 

 me with a day's record of reverse, a picture that, as I said 

 before, seldom takes its proper turn in story of gunning. 

 Perhaps it would be a dull tale to tell of all our misses 

 and mischances. Of a certainty it would fail to tickle us 

 in recounting. So we pick out the plums and hand them 

 round for discussion, ourselves eking out a full share of 

 satisfaction from the process. 



In illustration, then. One Saturday, as I have entered 

 it, I lost a right good buck through over-confidence — not 

 through missing him, this time. I am fain to confess to 

 missing frequently enough, like other people ; though 

 from long-continued practice I may fairly claim average 

 proficiency with the rifle ; and, like the same other people, 

 I am prone to talk a good deal more about my hits than 

 my misses. 



On this occasion Jim and I, after a long and hot 

 morning's ride, worked our way along the crest of a lofty 

 ridge, a wooded precipice on our left hand descending 

 into the densely timbered basin below. Peering occasion- 

 ally over the edge, we at length found ourselves looking 

 down upon a well-adorned buck; feeding lazily on a 

 grassy plateau some sixty yards below. A shot from the 

 saddle seemed to strike him fair on the shoulder, and at 

 once to cripple him. Indeed, I waited to see him fall. 

 I heard Jim mutter something, but failed to catch his 

 words, which, uttered in the indifferent tone that the 

 Americans would seem usually to adopt in moments of 

 emergency, appear to have been, " I guess you might as 

 well shoot him again, cap'n ! " As he spoke, two other 

 fine buck appeared, to join their shattered comrade, who 

 thereupon at once regained power of movement and 

 commenced to limp on with them, turning from me 

 as he moved. It was high time to put in another shot, 

 and I fired hurriedly — half uncertain to the last second 



