128 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZIN 



reached before there came the 

 crack of the erun. 



AN 



Photograph by George Shiras, 3d 

 ANCESTRAL RUFFED GROUSE 



Tn the fall of 1892, on approaching the author's camp 

 clearing, a cock grouse, clucking and spreading its tail on 

 a branch beneath a wild cherry tree, was pictured with a 

 small hand camera. 



Til l{ AUTHOR S HKO'I 



ins ])Ki:k 



ii E 



C.KTS 



out our seeing anything further, we re- 

 turned to camp, and, following supper, 

 preparations were made for fire-hunting, 

 under the primitive conditions employed 

 by the Indians, it now being my brother's 

 opportunity to provide the venison. 



At dusk we went down the winding 

 trail, illuminated by a flaming torch of 

 birch bark from material brought in for 

 this purpose. Placing an old frying-pan 

 in the bow of the dugout, containing a 

 handful of pine knots, with strips of 

 bark near by, to be added when more 

 light was needed, a start was made, and 

 I returned to the camp, which was hardly 



animal 



After a while the glare of 



the approaching torch showed 

 Jack leading the way, carry- 

 ing several pickerel taken from 

 the net at the entrance of the 

 slough, while my brother had 

 the gun in one hand and in 

 the other a stick upon which 

 were impaled the heart and 

 liver of the deer, showing the 

 success of the hunt. 



Then came the account of 

 the dugout passing along the 

 slough, when the sound of 

 several deer trampling about 

 in the mud led to the turning 

 of the canoe in that direction, 

 where two pairs of shining 

 eyeballs indicated a choice of 

 victims. When about fifty 

 feet away the luminous eye- 

 balls disappeared and the two 

 animals could be seen looking 

 across the water. Selecting 

 the smaller of the two, it went 

 down without a struggle, and 

 at the landing it was soon 

 dressed and hung up that it 

 might be drained of blood. 



During the night I resolved 

 to arise at daybreak and, with- 

 out disturbing the others, seek 

 the place where my deer had 

 gone ashore, with the vague 

 hope of finding it or, if unsuc- 

 cessful, to try for another 



single-handed. 



the quarry Found! 



Never having paddled in the stern be- 

 fore, a few strokes were taken on one 

 side and then on the other, and in this 

 slow and clumsy fashion the bay was 

 reached. Here the dried mud on the 

 leaves gave the clue ; so, pushing the bow 

 of the boat into the bushes, I leaped clear 

 of the muddy edge, seizing a projecting 

 snag for support. But the snag proved 

 to be the hind leg of my deer ! 



Sinking down, trembling with emotion, 

 I eyed the crumpled body of the little 



