440 



RECREATION. 



fired at the center of the bush. There was 

 a blue streak for 2 or 3 jumps and he was 

 gone. I made a few remarks, loaded the 

 gun and started down to where the deer had 

 crossed. The old hunter came up and 

 wanted to know who had been shooting. I 

 replied that I had done the shooting and 

 had missed the deer, but had had the satis- 

 faction of making him run like mad at 

 the last shot. 



"Have you looked?" he asked. 



"No," I replied, "he is gone and let him 

 go." 



"Young feller," said the hunter, "we al- 

 most always take a look around and espe- 

 cially when they run the way you said he 

 did. Where was that?" 



I pointed out the place to him, he went 

 up the trail and called for me to come. I 

 remember, falling several times but I got 

 there after a while. The old gentleman 

 watched developments, for he knew he had 

 a greenhorn, and he wanted to see what I 

 w T ould do. 



The first thing I saw was hair and blood 

 all over the snow. The old man stood 

 back and I asked questions. Following 

 along, he said, 



"Look here ! He is weak, for his hind 

 legs have dragged over that little log, I 



don't think he can go any farther than that 

 ridge over yonder." 



Glancing in that direction I saw the deer 

 lying down in the snow and replied, 



"There he is." 



"Yes," the old man said, "what a mark 

 that is," for the deer had raised his head 

 to look at us. "Can't you put a ball between 

 his eyes?" 



I fired and down went the deer's head. 

 The old man muttered, 



"I'll be durned if you haint put it in the 

 very spot !" which turned out to be true. 



I discovered when I got home that I had 

 been shooting 3 drams of rifle powder out 

 of the old rifle, for we had forgotten to 

 change our powder flasks. 



I shall never forget my first experience 

 in pulling a large deer out of the woods. 

 We had to draw him about 2 miles and I 

 thought it the hardest work I had ever 

 done ; but I learned later, in some of my 

 hunts, that it is a much harder job when 

 there is no snow on the ground. 



I have often thought of what a string of 

 luck was mine. It has followed me through 

 my deer hunting. Perhaps my being a good 

 shot had something to do with it. I have 

 never had what is known as buck fever, but 

 after all is over I nearly always lose my 

 hunting knife after dressing a deer. 



FREAK HORNS. 



I send you herewith print of a rare antler 

 of a Virginia deer ; 2 perfect symmetrical 

 horns from one burr. I found this double 

 antler fixed over the door of a lumber 

 camp on the Franconia branch, in New 

 Hampshire, last August. The antler was 

 found by a teamster who gave it to a cook 

 at the camp. Being a lover of hunting and 

 natural history, I saw at once its rarity. I 

 never saw nor read of any other like it 

 though I have seen hundreds of antlers. 

 O. F. Neubert, Lawrence, Mass, 



Actor — Did you see my "Caesar" ? 

 Friend — Oh, yes. 



Actor — What part of it did you like best? 

 Friend — The part where you get stabbed. 

 -Exchange. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY O F. NEUBERT 



