The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-14

hand on the let is the baying Beauty. And
now we are on the ridge, aud not a moment
too soon, for there, in a long, steady lope,
with head and tail high in air, comes the
buck. he fancies all danger is past and is
taking it easy ahead of the swiftly following
dog, who has distanced the other hounds
fully mile. His attention is given TO the
dog, so be does not notice US.
The mare sees him as soon as / and
stops short of her own accord. At the
same moment the buck perceives US and
stretches hImseh in magnificent outburst
of speed. Instead of coming directly for
us, at first, he swerves and crosses the road
broadside on, about thirty yards distant.
Aiming for the front of the shoulder blade
fire the right barrel. Down goes his tail
an infallibe sign that he is hit, but he does
not waver, and / send the charge of the
left barrel at his launches. Ahal his pace
has already diminished perceptibly; he will
not go far now. The thought comes to me
to run him down, and the little mare and
go tearing through the underbrush. But
we had not gone hundred yards before
Beauty flashed past US like meteor, no
longer running by scent. but leaping high
over the bushes, her long ears streaming
behind ike two tawny bannerets. In a
trice she is up with the wounded buck, has
seized hum by hind leg. and dragged him
down. l rein in the mare, fling myself
IFOH the saddle, throw down my gun, and
rush up to cut his throat.
''If ever you find yourself in a similar
situation, do not follow my example, but
put fresh shells in your gun and approach
| your buck cautiously. Before | could
| reach mine he had shaken himself free
| from the dog and regained his feet. He
paid no further heed to her, but ruth at
me head down. In the presence of immi-
nent danger a man does not think; he acts
l IT, = Il. i
know, unless it was a purely instructive
act; anyhow, 1 sprang behind tree, and
the buck turned his head so quickly that
his forehead struck the trunk squarely and
| the tips Of his antlers passed on either eide
of it,
when came to realize what bad hap
pened, | found myself on one side of the
tree holding on for life to the antlers and
the buck on the other side struggling desper-
| ately to free them. The animal was 50
large and powerful that the task had IN
dertaken taxed my strength to the utmost.
Indeed, had it not been for the aid of the
tree, which greatly hampered the bucks
movements and effectually prevented
the sidewiSe lurches Of his head. / do not
think l could have maintained the struggle
for two minutes. Beauty also gave me
noble assistance by nagging at his hind
quarters and TANKS.
|
weapon are his fore feet, which are capable
of cutting like daggers, and with which he
strikes terrible blows. He used these so
furiously and with such good aim that
found the greatest difficulty in avoiding
them, partly shielded though l was by the
tree. The sleeves of my hunting coat were
torn into shreds, and 1 several times mar
rowly escaped a blow on the head that
would have in all probabilities laid me out.
So uncomfortable did this incessant shower
of blows make me that more than once /
seriously thought of releasing the brute and
trusting to his seeking safety in flight, but
dared OF risk the chance of another rush.
There was still another cause for un-
easiness. My strength was fast giving out.
l could not disguise the fact that 1 must
soon give up from sheer exhaustion. And
as had left the other hunters too far be-
hind to expect them to join me speedily
| even if could have sounded my horn, my
case seemed hopeless, unless, indeed, 1 could
manage to hold on until the rest of the
hounds came up. just as l was on the
verge Of despair the buck began to struggle
less violently, then he suddenly became mo-
tionless, and venturing to peer around the
tree, noticed that he had sunk down on
his launches. The battle was over. He
was dead.
~ may add that he was the biggest buck
killed in st. Paul's within the memory OF
the Oldest inhabitant."