212 



RECREA TION. 



Paddling along slowly about ten 

 yards from the shore, being careful 

 to make not the slightest sound, we 

 soon saw a deer standing in the edge 

 of the bushes. A hasty shot, a great 

 splashing, and it was gone. 



But on turning a point, scarcely five 

 minutes later, we caught sight of the 

 eyes of a doe standing in the grass at 

 the head of a tiny cove. 



More care this time and the game is 

 ours. Slowly the boat moves forward, 

 impelled by the deep set paddle blade ; 

 the fascinated animal stands outlined, 

 dim and ghostlike in the faint light 

 thrown by the bull's-eye. The bow 

 man slowly raises his rifle, fires at her 

 shoulder, and as the smoke clears away 

 we discern the deer lying dead in the 

 shallow water, not 20 feet away. 



The storm, which for some time had 

 been threatening, now burst spitefully 

 upon us, as if nature herself was angrily 

 protesting against " murder most foul." 



The lean-to which we had constructed 

 with so much satisfaction proved but 

 scant protection against the rain, so that 

 by morning we were thoroughly wet by 

 the water which came through the roof, 

 as well as by that which soaked up from 

 below. Added to our miseries, the pun- 

 kies and mosquitoes had discovered 

 our defenceless condition, so that by 

 dawn we were ready to cry quits and 

 leave for the main camp with our trophy. 



No Roman conqueror, in the heyday 

 of his power, was ever more proud of 

 the countless thousands of captives, 

 who served to grace his triumphal pro- 

 cession, than were we of our maiden 

 achievement. We were the heroes of 

 the camp, and our story had to be re- 

 counted innumerable times, that all 

 might hear it. The dear girls would 

 not rest content until they had been 

 guided to our little camping spot, and 

 had viewed with their own eyes the 

 scenes of our adventures. 



