Aug. 31, 1895.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



179 



against a dilenama. "With Jock Darling on the inside and 

 the Forest and Stream camera on the outside it was a 

 case of between the devil and the deep sea, and Master 

 Porkey couldn't solve it. Like some human beings in 

 similar situations, he preferred not to come to a decision, 

 but to remain "on the fence." Eventually Jock per- 

 suaded him with the aid of a club to come out and have 

 his photograph taken. Afterward we watched the old 

 thief waddle off. He was so nervous in his haste that he 

 fell over backward several times in attempting to climb 

 logs, and he probably hasn't yet gotten over the shock of 

 our unexpected visit. 



While rounding a point a few minutes later we came 



sight of the deer, but they took no notice of us and did 

 not seem to see us. At one time, however, I thought 

 they were off, for with a common impulse both started 

 for shore at a great rate, jumping and making the water 

 fly in sheets of spray. It was almost immediately evi- 

 dent, however, that they were only playing, and the fact 

 showed how totally the presence of the human onlookers 

 was ignored. The play was but a momentary ebullition, 

 and soon they were back again at their leisurely break- 

 fast. 



After making the circle of the bay we approached very 

 cautiously under the protection of irregularities in the 

 shore until we came in sight of the bucks again. They 



AN INTERRUPTED HEAL. 



upon deer No. 9. This deer, which was a buck, was feed- 

 ing some distance from shore. Every now and then he 

 would put his head down in the water and bring it up 

 with his mouth full of grass. Jock informed me that he 

 was eating a kind of flat grass that grows entirely under 

 water and which is very plentiful about the lake. The 

 deer had not seen us, but there was little chance of ap- 

 proaching him closely in the canoe, as there was no con- 

 cealment whatever on the water. Acting on Jock's ad- 

 vice I determined to attempt a stalk from the shore. 



Making a mental note that the nearest point opposite 

 the buck was distant about 200yds., and taking the large 

 camera in my arms, I began the approach. The formation 

 of the land at this point was a good deal the same as that 

 of some North Carolina cypress swamps along tidal rivers. 

 The waters of the lake had heaped up a natural levee that 

 served to keep the land behind in a swampy condition, 

 and here flourished a network of cedars. Two hundred 

 yards under such circumstances was hardly similar to 

 200yds. on Broadway and it required more than two min- 

 utes to walk it. In fact, I think Jock came to the con- 

 clusion that I was lost long before I got to the point op- 

 posite the deer. At first I made fairly good progress, but 

 as I advanced the number of fallen trees increased, and 

 the footing became wetter and more slippery. As the deer 

 was only a couple of hundred feet from shore it became 

 necessary to avoid any possible noise, and this was no 

 easy matter for a man encumbered with a camera 8ft. in 

 length that rivaled a drum for the volume of its tone 

 when hit by a stray branch. 



There were mosquitoes and midges in that swamp, too, 

 and they soon found that my hands were useless for pur- 

 poses of defense. They explored the openings at my 

 wrists and throat, and some crawled up my legs- till met 

 by others journeying downward, and every exploring 

 party blazed its trail. 



Coming to the conclusion at length that I had gone the 

 required distance, I began working my way toward the 

 shore, and soon saw the buck. He was perhaps 150ft. 

 from shore, and presented the easiest kind of a shot for a 

 rifle, but was a little beyond the range of the camera. 



It took a long while to find an opening in the trees that 

 fringed the shore from which I could see the deer and 

 work the camera to advantage without being seen, but at 

 last such a place was secured and a picture taken. The 

 buck heard the click of the shutter and raised his head 

 with a quick jerk. He scanned the shore carefully, but 

 evidently could see nothing suspicious, for he did not at- 

 tempt to leave the spot. 



Slowly I began reloading the camera for another shot, 

 and, I suppose it is just as well to confess it, I never had 

 a worse case of buck fever in my life. My hands began 

 to tremble and I was obliged to resort to my old hunting 

 prescription, viz, , to stand still and take a number of long 

 breaths. This soon quieted my nerves, and being able 

 presently to hold my hand steady, I essayed another 

 photograph. 



The deer recognized the click of the shutter, which 

 seemed to confirm his former suspicions that all was not 

 right, and this time he began moving in toward shore. 

 Seeing that his course would take him much nearer than 

 he had yet been, I hurriedly attempted to re'o^d. In 

 doing so, however, I made so much unavoidable noise with 

 plate holder and shutter that the buck veered off and was 

 out of range before I had the camera ready. One of the 

 pictures taken at this time came out fairly well. After 

 this, as it was growing dusk, we paddled leisurely back to 

 camp. We had seen nine deer that day, but had secured 

 photographs of only one of the number. 



That night it rained. In fact at one time or another it 

 rained each day we were in the woods. Add to this the 

 fact that, with one exception, every day was windy and 

 it will be seen that the conditions for our success were not 

 the most favorable. 



Our first deer the following day were seen, near the 

 mouth of Warderley Brook. They were two bucks and 

 were feeding in the afore-mentioned flat grass that grows 

 under water. "We made a half circle of the bay in plain 



were only 100yds. away, and by very adroit work with the 

 paddle Jock decreased this distance nearly one-half, the 

 water grass in a measure shielding us from the deer. 

 Then we found our way blocked by a long submerged 

 log, and as the deer were beginning to grow nervous and as 

 we knew it would be impossible to turn the canoe to go 

 around without stampeding them, we took the chance 

 such as it was and got an unsatisfactory photograph. 



ever, did not always alarm them, and frequently they 

 exhibited great curiosity until they got a scent of us. 

 That was enough, and it wasn't very complimentary to 

 the superior beings to see how a single whiff affected them. 



The twelfth deer was feeding in the thick bog under- 

 growth on the north shore of the stream, and we got 

 within 75ft. of him, but then — up popped his head and he 

 was off with a crash without showing us enough of his 

 shapely form to photograph. 



The wind was wrong for going up the brook, so we soon 

 turned around. Reaching the lake again, we saw a deer 

 on the south side of the bay, but on account of the direc- 

 tion of the wind did not attempt to stalk it. 



Later in the day we paddled down the lake toward the 

 outlet, before a gale of wind that raised our light canoe 

 and swept it along over the white caps at an exhilarating 

 rate. 



On a projecting point to leeward we saw what we took 

 to be three deer. When we got closer, however, they had 

 gone. 



We ascended the stream that empties into a bay at the 

 southeastern extremity of the lake, but as the wind car- 

 ried tidings of our presence a long way ahead we saw no 

 deer. On our way back to camp we saw a solitary deer 

 on an exposed shore, where it would have been useless to 

 attempt a close approach. This was the last deer seen 

 that day and made a total of eight— or seventeen in ail- 

 since reaching Sebois. Only one opportunity for a pho- 

 tograph, and that at an unsatisfactory range, had been 

 obtained. 



The following day, however, we had better luck despite 

 baffling weather conditions. We paddled up the lake 

 against a strong head wind to the East Bay. Rounding 

 the last point, we come in sight of the beach where we 

 had previously photographed deer tracks. We looked the 

 shore over carefully, but no deer were to be seen. The 

 place was too promising to leave at once, and Jock re- 

 marked, "We'll go a little further and wait to see if a deer 

 won't come out on the sand beach." The words were 

 prophetic, for hardly were they out of his mouth when 

 one appeared. Jock had time to say, "There's one now," 

 when a second deer appeared, closely following the first. 



These deer, we estimated, were less than one-quarter 

 mile distant. In fact, they were so close that with the 

 unaided eye we could see they both carried horns, one 

 especially having a very fine pair. But they did not seem 

 at all concerned with the presence of an 18ft. canoe creep- 

 ing: along the opposite shore. 



Though paddling down wind, for a wonder, we ran 

 right on a small spike buck wading in the shallow water. 

 No doubt the point that concealed him from view also 

 prevented him winding us. He got our wind and a view 

 of us the same instant such as must have filled his youth- 

 ful soul with terror, for he jumped so quick that a hun- 

 dredth second exposure shows him on the photograph 

 twice his actual length. ^^-nfl 



Before we made the circle of the bog we caught a 



THERE ARE TWO HERE. 



After which the deer walked ashore and disappeared in 

 the woods. 



Our twelfth deer was also a buck. In fact, the great 

 majority of deer seen on this trip were bucks. It is hard 

 to account for this except under the supposition that the 

 does, having mostly fawns to look after, came less fre- 

 quently into the open. The does, however, proved to be 

 the easiest to photograph, for when they fed they were 

 always in a hurry to get back to their fawns, and did not 

 look about much. The bucks on the contrary fed along 

 leisurely as if they did not have a care in the world, and 

 were sure to see our canoe if near by the moment it came 

 out from the protection of the shore, Such a sight, how- 



glimpse of another deer about 200yds. off, but this deer 

 moved back into the woods almost at once. About the 

 same time a third deer joined the others at the sand 

 beach. The day had begun well, with five deer in sight 

 in less than as many minutes. 



We worked very cautiously up the shore toward the 

 sand beach till according to our calculations the deer 

 were only concealed by one little projection, when we 

 noticed a movement in the bushes. The next instant a 

 graceful doe stepped out and hurried with little mincing 

 steps toward the water. We held our breath and looked 

 on as though watching some wood nymph at her bath. 

 The d,oe continued her way till the water reached her 



