176 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



discovering a pair of shining eves of 

 what proved a yearling buck, only a few 

 feet beyond old Jack's landing, where, as 

 a boy, I had brought in triumph a little 

 buck as the first victim of the gun. 



What a coincidence if, on the same 

 spot, I could now obtain an image much 

 more lasting than the vanished one of 

 years ago ! 



The deer viewed the approaching light 

 with unusual curiosity, raising and lower- 

 ing the head as if to look under or over 

 the jack-light. Just as the neck was 

 craned and the head elevated, the flash 

 was fired, the camera hunters and the 

 deer being equally blinded, for at that 

 time we had not learned the advantage of 

 closing one eye when the explosion took 

 place. 



Before our vision had returned the 

 deer was heard struggling through a mass 

 of alders, and then, without making an- 

 other trial, we hastened to camp, where 

 the developed plate showed the little buck 

 in the center of the scene, with a fore- 

 ground of reeds and a background of 

 alders and cedar, depicting the first suc- 

 cessful effort in the recording of an 

 animal on its midnight rambles (see page 



135)- 



the: lure of night hunting with a 



CAMERA 



Having, therefore, learned in the suc- 

 ceeding year that night hunting with the 

 camera possessed a greater attraction for 

 the average sportsman than when the 

 object was the death of the animal, I en- 

 deavored to show this through the col- 

 umns of an outdoor magazine, and as a 

 part of the present record its reproduc- 

 tion may be in order, especially as these 

 early views have been more than sus- 

 tained in the twenty-five succeeding 

 years : 



" Selecting a dark, warm night, a flash- 

 light hunter prepares his cameras, lights 

 the jack-lamp, loads his flashlight appa- 

 ratus with magnesium powder, and in his 

 canoe pushes out into the silent waters 

 of the lake or river. The paddle sends 

 the slight boat ahead so easily that no 

 sound is heard except a gentle ripple, un- 

 noticeable a boat's length away. The 

 wooded banks are wrapped in deepest 

 shadow, only the sky-line along the crest 

 showing their course. 



"At the bow of the boat the bright eye 

 of the jack-light is turning from side to 

 side, cutting a channel of light through 

 the waves of darkness, showing, as it 

 sweeps the banks, the trunks of trees and 

 tracery of foliage with wonderful dis- 

 tinctness. 



"Soon the quick ears of the men in the 

 boat detect the sound of a deer feeding 

 among the lily beds that fringe the shore. 

 Knee-deep in the water, he is moving 

 contentedly about, munching his supper 

 of thick green leaves. 



"two bright balls shine back" 



"The lantern turns about on its pivot 

 and the powerful rays of light sweep 

 along the banks whence the noise came. 

 A moment more and two bright balls 

 shine back from under the fringe of 

 trees ; a hundred yards away the deer has 

 raised his head and is wondering what 

 strange, luminous thing is lying out on 

 the surface of the water. 



"Straight toward the mark of the shin- 

 ing eyes the canoe is sent with firm, silent 

 strokes. The distance is only seventy- 

 five yards, now it is only fifty, and the 

 motion of the canoe is checked till it is 

 gliding forward almost imperceptibly. 

 At this point, if the hunting were with 

 the firearm, there would be a red spurt 

 of fire from under the jack-light, and the 

 deer would be struggling and plunging 

 toward the brush ; but there is no sound 

 or sign of life, only the slowly gaining 

 light. 



"Twenty-five yards now, and the ques- 

 tion is, Will he stand a moment longer? 

 The flashlight apparatus has been raised 

 well above any obstructions in the front 

 of the boat, the powder lies in the pan 

 ready to ignite at the pull of a trigger; 

 everything is in readiness for immediate 

 action. Closer comes the boat, and still 

 the blue, translucent eyeballs watch it. 

 What a strange phenomenon this pretty 

 light is ! Nothing like it has ever been 

 seen on the lake during the days of his 

 deerhood. 



"a click, a wave of light, then 

 darkness" 



"Fifteen yards now, and the tension is 

 becoming great. Suddenly there is a 

 click, and a white wave of light breaks 

 out from the bow of the boat — deer, hills, 



