The herald., 1897-10-03

wind and each took ridge on one side,
keeping almost out of sight on the
outer side of the divide and showing
just enough of our heads to enable us
to see into the gulch. In this way we
vert some three hundred yards when
my friend beckoned to me to come over
to him.
He has crossed this ridge here" said
he, pointing to a clearly defined hoof
print on a bit of clay soil and leading
toward higher plateau covered with
chaparral over waist high.
Without stopping to look for any tracks
we circled around to some high ground
on the leeward side, for the probabilities
of the deer being in this ground were
too strong, and the value of the wind
in our favor was too great, to risk any
thing by adhering too closely to tracks,
no matter how plain. Here is one point
where the tracker often fails. He fol-
lows the trail where the wind will reach
the game or where it will see him easily,
when by leaving it he could have both
these advantages over the deer and
pick up the trail somewhere beyond
with very little trouble. One used to
hunting can easily GO it, but the tyro is
quite apt to fail by over anxiety when
he finds he is getting near the game.
Around this plateau we kept to the
leeward until we came near the base
of some higher ground, when young
setter that 1 had was training to point
deer, and so far had walked silently at
our heels suddenly stopped, and sitting
up raised her nose high in air. We
were almost on level with the rest of
the plateau and the action of the dog in
dicated that the deer was on foot and
not very far off. Patting the dog gent
ly, whispered to her to go ahead.
With cat-like tread she walked along
some fifteen PAGES and then rising high
upon her hind legs for moment and
smiling at the air above, sat down and
refused to go any farther.
"The rascal is close by and hiding in
the brush" whispered my companion.
"If we are not careful he will slip out
CT the other side and that will be the las:
of him. You climb that big rock on the
right and l will get on the knoll on the
left and then you send the dog ahead Ia
start him out"
mounted the rock at once, but did not
send the dog in for If there is anything
that wifi spoil dog it is deer. dog
perfectly steady on birds may lose his
head entirely after he has chased one or
two deer and especially if he has caught
wounded one. / was training this dog
to point deer the same as birds-a thing
quite easily done il you never allow the
dog to flush or chase one. I sat on that
rock nearly five minutes, but there was
no change in the situation, though the
dog seemed inclined to go on if would
let her.
"You stay here where you can see and
I will go into the brush and drive him
out" said my friend, coming over to me.
But before he got half way ito the brush
he met the dog moving very slowly ahead
with nose high upraised and rising al
times on her hind legs to catch the seen.
of the upper air.
"Come on quick" he whispered, as
came to him, after he had be'ckoned quite
earnestly for me. He is farther of
than we thought and that dog has ar
extra fine nose. We must be way be-
hind him, and she is making long
point"
The dog meanwhile was going slowly
ahead, snuffing along the ground and
even high up among the bushes, and con-
tinually standing up to catch a stronger
flavor of the breeze.
1T isn't five minutes since he was
here" said my companion, pointing te
some fresh footprints on the ground and
the ends of some twigs on the bushes