H FOLLOWING 
THE DEER 
122 
WINTER 1TRAILS 
left and made a little chamber for 
himself just under some snow-packed 
spruce tips, with a foot of snow for 
a blanket over him. When 1 fell for- 
ward, disturbing his rest most rudely 
ere he had time to wink the snow out 
of his eyes, he burst out with a great 
whirr and sputter between my left 
hand and my head, scattering snow 
all over me, and thundered off through 
the startled woods, flicking a branch 
here and there with his wings, and 
shaking down a great white shower 
to hide his flight as he rushed away 
for deeper solitudes. There, no doubt, 
he went to sleep in the evergreens, 
congratulating himself on his escape 
and preferring to take his chances 
