522 
overhanging trunk and we told him to 
go ahead. 
“Well, I climbed out on her after I 
had seen the buck’s tracks and there’s 
the snuggest kind of a place to squat. 
It’s about a hundred yards, say, for a 
shot, if I get one. I’m not going to 
take a rest, as I need hardly promise. 
But if 1 get. one fair, even halt fair 
shot at that deer, I’ll be satisfied to let 
it go at that, hit or miss.” 
We had been camped in the wilder- 
ness for two weeks. Around us 
stretched thousands of acres of prim- 
itive forest, towering woodlands of 
gigantic blue-gum, cottonwood, cypress, 
poplar, ash, oak, elm, hickory and black 
locust. Dense thickets of green-brier 
bushes scattered about among the un- 
dergrowth made the walking nearly im- 
passable in many places and down in the 
swamps the traveling among fallen logs 
and cypress knees was even worse. It 
was a jungle, and in it were many 
deer, hundreds of wild turkeys, wolves, 
wild-cats, panthers, bears, raccoons, 
squirrels in abundance and opossums. 
At Big lake and through the swamps 
were myriads of ducks, and occasion- 
ally woodcock were flushed in the up- 
land thickets. In the river and in the 
lakes were fish of many kinds, bass, 
buffalo, bream, cat-fish, crappie and 
others. Bee-trees were to be found in 
easy reach of camp, and our bill of 
fare was something Lucullian. 
After ‘breakfast the next morning 
some of us went north for turkeys, 
some took the dogs and started for a 
wild-cat chase and Doc took his rifle 
and “hiked” for the river. That night 
the wild-cat hunters came in minus any 
pelts, but reported two good runs and 
any amount of excitement. Ed. Horna- 
day came in with two turkeys, and two 
fat does hung alongside camp testified 
to the work of the others. Doc Amory 
came in last. A grim smile illuminated 
his grizzled face. “Nothing but a long 
wait,” was his terse reply to the in- 
quiry he read in our eyes. 
RECREATION 
The succeeding day was a blank for 
the Doctor, and the rest of the boys 
were taking it easy, some chopping 
wood, and a bunch of them bringing in 
some of the sweetest honey that ever 
dripped over a hot biscuit. 
The third day saw Doc steal off 
again with the rifle, and the morning 
and afternoon dozed away with hardly 
anything to disturb the monotony of the 
wind in the trees, the occasional swish 
of passing wildfowl, or the hammering 
of the pileated woodpeckers against 
dead limbs. Everybody but the cook 
had gone fishing with the exception of 
Doc, and we got back toward twilight, 
hungry and laden with fish. Amory 
had taken the clumsy flat-boat, and we 
had fished at Big lake in order to give 
him a clean sweep so far as the river 
was concerned. 
We were all standing by the tents, 
and some one was wondering where 
the old man was, when a double report 
from a rifle, followed by a single shot, 
came sharply up from the distant 
stream. Ed. Hornaday turned a hand- 
spring and emitted a yell at the same 
time. Hardest thing to do you ever 
saw. “He’s got him!” he yelled, “bet 
you ten dollars to a bear’s claw. By 
God! the old man has nailed Grease- 
Foot!” 
We took a short-cut pell-mell to the 
river, and came on Doc presently, sit- 
ting statue-like in the crazy flat-boat, 
and in the bottom of the boat was— 
say—you ought to have seen that deer! 
We nearly all fell into the river get- 
ting a good view of it, and the old man 
just sat there grinning like a Cheshire 
cat and all of us saying at once, “How 
did you get him, Doc? Tell us all 
about it.” 
“Boys,” said the veteran proudly, 
“step up here one at a time. I’m not 
going to tell you about this wonderful 
feat until we all get to the camp-fire. 
But move around here singly now, and 
respectful-like, and [ll introduce you 
to my buck.” 
