JL. FOLLOWING 
'^THE DEER 
140 
WINTER ITHAILS 
all forward, their eyes fixed with in- 
tensest curiosity on the man lying at 
full length in the snow with the queer 
red flag dancing over his head. 
On the right of the line, nearest me, 
stood the big buck ; and for the first 
and last time I saw some trace of hesi- 
tation in his attitude and in the ner- 
vous stroke of his forefoot in the snow. 
What a magnificent creature he was ! 
And that head with its crown of 
antlers, — though I have followed hun- 
dreds of deer since in the wilderness, 
1 have never yet met its equal. My 
heart jumped at the sight of him 
standing there so still and so near. 
My first motion broke up the pretty 
tableau. Before I could swing my 
