SPORT AND TRAVEL 295 



depth, the ground being level and sheltered from the 

 wind by the surrounding forest. This open piece of 

 snow-covered ground had evidently formed a play- 

 ground for quite a herd of mule deer during the 

 preceding night. They had been jumping and frisk- 

 ing about for a long time, and had crossed and re- 

 crossed the open ground in all directions. But they 

 had never lain down or scratched the snow away to 

 feed, and had finally gone off down the mountain- 

 side into the thick forest below. The tracks on this 

 playground were all small, obviously those of does and 

 fawns, and I could not find the spoor of a big buck 

 amongst them. But I thought that there would in all 

 probability be one or more of the latter in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and, sure enough, soon struck the fresh 

 track of a fine stag, in the rather straggling forest just 

 above the open ground. I felt sure the animal itself 

 was somewhere near, and so followed it up very 

 cautiously, keeping my eyes ranging well forwards, 

 and trying to make no noise, or at least as little as 

 possible. 



In this way I had advanced very slowly for a short 

 distance, when suddenly I saw the head and horns 

 of a beautiful mule deer buck raised above a little 

 scrubby fir bush. I was amongst some trees about 

 a hundred yards away, and I don't think he had seen 

 me, but had probably only heard my footsteps in the 

 snow, for I afterwards found that when I saw him he 

 was standing on the bed from which he had doubt- 



