Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1886-12-02

Then, without turning his head. he
said in whisper:
sect down quick Here's YOUR
chonce' As fine n shot as ever see. :"
| was down before he had fairly be-
gun to speak, but trembling all over.
and my teeth chartered i'm a most un-
accountable way.
! "Slp up behind that sugar pine and
blaze away" was the whispered order:
and hugging my rifle. obeyed. all the
time with that dreadful shaking. Ii
was ''buck ague," As afterwards
learned, nervous affection expert
enced by young hunters during their
hrot shot at deer. and even old
hunters have suffered from it.
The beautiful creature. two-year-
old buck. stood quietly feeding. out
lined against the sky. | leveled my
rifle, never noticing that | had not
raised the hammer. and pulled with all
my strength. II did not ''go Of" At
last discovering the reason, | rightad
the hammer with click. The deer
raised his lordly head, snulied the air.
and was gone i'll series of magniii-
cent leaps.
How heuutitul" cried forgetting
IN the novelty of the sight my own stu
| pidity, of which, however. | was not
long to remain unmindful. The look
OF contempt that greeted me as |
turned to Uncle John withered me-
You III never kill deer, Never
see such chance since | was born;
not ten yards of. Pooh,n And the
lrate old hunter rode or leaving me to
follow or go back, as chose.
| have been mortified several times
in my recollection; have been ''spelled
down" as a child in school; have
missed the target in archery tourna-
ments. and have been snubbed by a
| prospective mothcr-in-law; but never
do | remember that my pride was so
laceraIed as now. The sunshine sud
denly lost its brightness. the fresh.
fragrant stiffness was no longer de
light, and desperate thoughts flashed
through my brain of putting an end to
my wretched existence. At last | de-
termined that instead of returning
home TO brood over my sorrow, /
would strike off by myself into the
woods, and redeem my reputation by
taking home ut night some trophy OF
my skill.
The soothing sunshine and delicious
air by degrees restored my equanimity,
and hope was high in my bosom. |
scanned all the ravines closely, and
looked wisely on the ground for tracks
OF beasts. | rode long and far, and
when the sun was high threw myself
beside little spring that bubbled from
the rocks, and ate my luncheon, allow
ing my horse TO Craze near me. On
my right was a small patch of green
heritage, across which the tall pines
cast n somber shadow There was not
sound except that of the horse feed
ing. l was too high for birds; they
were below in the valleys, though now
and then vulture sailed maiestically
around some distant peak. The lone
illness and silence OF the place began TO
be oppressive. Suddenly there was "A
rustic in the tall grass under the pines.
Looking up saw the head of n deer.
l seized my rifle, and, leveling it. fired
with steady hand. a deafening re-
port crashed through the stiffness. and
there escaped into the air a white deerl
! sprang TO the place. In the blood
stained grass lay the noble animal.
struggling with death.
felt thrill OF superstitiouS horror;
something as an old Egyptian must
have felt had he killed unwittingly the
sacred ibis, or the Ancient Mariner
when he slew the albatross. tried to
stanch the blood, but the murderous
ball had done its work too well.
Hardly knowing what | did. took the
head of the dying creature into my
lap. In the large soft eyes were re-
Elected the rocks aud the swaying
pines. As the breath grew fainter the
head turned with convulsive move
ment, and the fast glazing eyes looked
into mine with gaze so human i'm its
Intelligence that | was almost crazcd
with grief and terror. ] hurried from
the spot, only TO find that my horse,
probably frightened 10y the rile-shot.
had disappeared | was alone and
miles from home. | discovered. too.
that lacked one of the most recess
sary requisites OF the true hunter
ability to find my way under all cir
cumstances.
Ii was already afternoon. | started
I to go back on foot the way had come
ms nearly rs | could remember it.
/ When ! reached a point high enough
| TO command view did not feel re-
assured. for the mountains looked all
alike, and range after range stretched
/ away on every side, silent and relcnt-
] i''TH - tiif ttluu 1 ufit WAS not q
/ living thing in sight but a buzzard cir
/ cling about a far-of peak
/ AT last | set of in direction where
! thought | recognized familiar rocks
The killing of the white hart weighed
/ heavily upon my spirits. and filled me
with vague fears The stories of the
/ night before added to my uneasincss.
+ There was the danger That / might
/ meet bear. had my rifle and three
dozen cartridges in my belt. but Uncle
+ John had said. GIVE grizzlies wide
/ berth
What could / do IL met one?
/ The way grew more and more intri-
cate. Now had 20 climb over bowl
dcr-. and now force nv way through
tangled underground. from which /
emerged into the shadow Of pines so
gloomy that twilight seemed suddenly
To have fallen. There was crashing
Of bushes. as Of some heavy body push
ing itself through tried 90 run. but
the roughncs- Of the ground made me
stumble at every step. The noise came
nearer. ! knew that 10 could benothin0
else but 20 bear. and every other anxiety
was swallowed mp in present terror. i
remembered that griz4ies do not climb
unless Che tree is neither too large nor
too small Ten yards 90 the left stood
slender tree, with trunk clear for
fifteen feet