American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-05

cause as proceeding from the loD grounds
and rarely from above. This peculiarly
is duly taken advantage of by the sports
man, who accordingly advances upon his
game, wind permitting, frequently by the
most circuitous and precipitOus paths, but
| always doacl hill.
When thus approaching deer that are
feeding in the valley below the utmost
caution is requisite both as regards speed
and the mode of progression. The stalker
must advance inch by inch, resting upon
his elbows, and pushing himself forward
by his feet; he must observe every motion
of the deer, stop when they cease from
eating, and retain his position, however
irksome it may be, till his game recon-
mence pasturing. He must never even
for an instant display the slightest unusual
motion during his toilsome and stealthy
advance, and must submit implicitly to
every signal and whisper from his guide.
During protractcd stalks, especially
when the nature of the ground between
the sportsman and the deer is free from
sheltering knobs, the stalker's patience is
tried to the utmost by having TO pause so
frequently in his progress. The stalk, how
ever, is not usually so much directly
toward the deer as for some intervening
knoll or rock, where Ii tie breathing
space and relaxation of limb may be OBJ
tanned before firing. Every Scottish deer
stalker is familiar with the whispered
warning announced by the disappointed
guide, !" The auld kinds lool;ing.' Her
vigilance once aroused, the hunters only
chance of shot is to remain motiOnless
until her fears subside; but it more fire.
quently happens that her alarm is COM
municated to the rest, and the whole
party take their flight over the hills.
To approach a herd of deer near
enough to shoot them with an ordinary
rifle requires an amount of patience that
few possess. Their suspicious nature
must be conciliated by penances of al
most suspended animation. The hunter
must crawl upon his victim not only
against the wind, but he must move with
the silence of clouds shadow. So alert
are these timid animals that, when one of
them is reposing, he satisfies himself that
the wind will convey the approach of the
enemy from one quarter, and then lies
down with his head turned in the opposite
direction, that he may guard against sur
prise on all sides.
The deer is usually considered most
harmless animal, and roets have created
much sympathy for them by representing
that when hunted and overtaken by the
hounds, they have been known to weep.
There is no reasonable authority for this
statement, however, and in fact the deer
is not only provided with powerful weap-
ons for destroying his enemies, but does
not fail to avail himself of them, and
will sometimes commence the battle with
out provocatiOn. In the year 1908 the
Earl of Berkeley was walking with his
little son in one of his parks when he was
set upon by a deer that he kept as a curl
osity. The Earl seized the horns of the
animal with both hands, bravely holding
on after he was knocked down and
trampled upon by the furious beast. In
this critical condition he cried to the
child not to be alarmed, but to come near
enough, if possible, to take the knife from
his pocket and stab the deer or cut his
throat. The boy obeyed, found the knife
and went to work upon the throat of the
animal. His courage, however, was
greater than his strength, and he could
not cut the deer's windpipe. Still he did
not dcsist, but dealt the animal such
succession OF furious blows, each one
drawing the blood, that the deer finally
became weakened, and yielding to the
boys brave and determined attack turned
and fled, just as the Earl was about to
loosen his hold through exhaustion
Hdrper's Weekly.