H FOLLOWING 
THE DEER 
of the mistakes which a boy made who had 
xvi 
only his own eyes and wits to depend on 
for his knowledge of woodcraft. But after 
many years, and after watching and fol- 
lowing hundreds of deer in the summer and 
winter woods, those early experiences, while 
everything was yet new and the wonder 
was on the world, are still the most fas- 
cinating of all. And so I venture to 
give them, mistakes and all, just as they 
occurred. 
The only liberty I have taken here is 
with the big buck of the story, who is 
really two or three deer in one, deer that 
I first watched with a boy's jealous eyes, 
and then followed eagerly in a life-and- 
death chase as soon as the hunting season 
opened. They won the game fairly, keep- 
(Ppeft 
ace- 
