THE COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILED DEER. 123 



and stealthily he nears the top, and peers over. His heart 

 gives a sudden leap, for in that little glade, just out of gun- 

 shot, there are a large buck and a couple of does feeding,- all 

 unconscious' of danger. To get within gunshot, he must 

 retrace his steps and make a detour. After a great deal 

 of patient work, he gets on the lee side of them, and now 

 begins the difficult part of the performance. To get within 

 safe shooting distance, he should reach that little clump of 

 bashes out there in the glade; but the ground between him 

 and his intended victims is covered with nothing but short 

 grass. By crawling a little farther through the brush, he 

 gets the clump of bushes between him and the game, and 

 then. quickly and noiselessly he approaches them. As he 

 reaches the brush, he drops to his knees, and, with throbbing 

 heart, crawls to the other side. There they are, quietly 

 feeding, but moving away. Slowly he raises his rifle and 

 covers the buck, but hesitates to fire, hoping that the 

 animal will turn, so as to give a side- shot. Presently the 

 opportunity offers, and, aiming just behind the shoulder, he 

 presses the trigger. 



At the report of the rifle the buck gives one desperate 

 bound, and falls, while the does quickly betake themselves 

 to flight. Well may he feel proud, for he has sought a 

 keen, wary animal in its natural home, and outwitted it. 



Again, he is cautiously and stealthily picking his way 

 through a tract of brush-land, in which grow a few 

 scattering pines and firs. The greatest skill and patience 

 are necessary to avoid making loud noises in the dry brush 

 and weeds, and alarming all the game within a quarter of a 

 mile. He slowly makes his way, however, placing his moc- 

 casinedfeet on the ground with the silence and stealthiness 

 of the cat. He makes frequent pauses to peer through the 

 brush, in hopes of seeing a patch of gray hair, and listens at- 

 tentively, hoping to hear a rustle in the stillness about him. 



He is ignorant of the fact that only a hundred yards 

 ahead of him a magnificent buck is taking his morning 

 siesta, in his bed just in the edge of a clump of salmon 

 bushes. Presently — despite all the care of the sportsman — 



