FOLLOWING 
THE DEER^ 
hardly creep through without alarming 
ears far less sensitive than a deer's. 
Skill had failed ; their cunning was too 
much for me. 1 must now try an ap- 
peal to curiosity. 
I crept up the hill flat on my face, 
keeping stump or scrub spruce always 
between me- and the thicket on the 
hilltop. The wind was in my favor; 
1 had only their sight to consider. 
Somewhere, just within the shadow, 
at least one pair of eyes were sweep- 
ing the back track with a keenness 
that nothing might escape. There- 
fore I kept well away from the trail, 
creeping slowly up till I rested behind 
a great burned stump within forty 
yards of my game. There I fastened 
137 
WINTER TRAILS 
