298 



RECREA TION. 



tinually tempted to do. There is, of 

 course, no light, except that which 

 comes from the cyclopean eye of the in- 

 animate bull perched over your left eye. 

 With this circle of light you carefully 

 sweep every foot of the shore line, even 

 though it were better unsvvept, while 

 the canoe slips silently through the water 

 and the lantern burns your forehead. 



The first time we went out George 

 embarked with an Indian, while Charles 

 and I took our chances together, he 

 courteously giving me the rifle and lamp. 

 We paddled clear to the outlet without 

 seeing or hearing a thing. But as we 

 got near the creek we heard a great 

 splashing ahead. We worked cautiously 

 forward, throwing the light all around, 

 but without seeing anything, though the 

 noise continued. When we reached the 

 outlet we found that the deer — there 

 were two or three of them — were in 

 the creek and hidden from our light by 



a bend. They were only a few rods off, 

 and we could hear them walking about 

 in the water, stamping and blowing, and 

 making merry. Charles gently swung 

 the canoe around, headed it straight into 

 the creek, and let the current carry it. 

 I was all ready to open fire as soon as 

 we should pass the bend, and it began 

 to look blue for the deer, when the 

 canoe ran bump ! into a sunken log. 

 The next thing we heard was a skurry 

 of hoof-beats, mingled with the sound 

 of a word which rhymes with ham. 



A few days after this deer hunt we 

 pulled up our tent pegs, tied our baggage 

 up in the pack-straps, and took again the 

 long tramp over the trail and the sandy 

 "right-of-way." With the memory of a 

 happy outing green within me, I vowed 

 that each succeeding summer of my 

 life should find me in the woods. So 

 far the vow has been broken but once. 

 May the future record keep as good. 



