The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-27
Story Of Bucky BlacktaiI
IFrom the Chicago Record.l

| in the very western part of wyoming.
At first he was mostly four long and
wabbly little legs that supported a timid
little body. When he was two months
old his body was filed out until his
legs did not look quite so long, and they
were no longer wabbly. but very firm
and springy and graceful. His dark,
reddish-brown coat looked like satin,
and it was covered with white spots that
made it look like royal apparel. He had
| large, handsome brown eyes, and alto
| gether he was as pretty a little creature
as ever romped around the mountain
| side
But he did not know that he was
/ handsome. He simply knew that he was
/ very happy while he played around his
| mother or when he was sleeping under
some secluding bushes while she went
/ away to feed.
One day he was sleeping in this man
| ner when he was awakened by sharp
report. He had never heard such a
| sound, but it frightened him. He lay
| quietly under his clump of laurel and
| listened and wished that his mother
| would return.
She did not return; but he lay very
still, without moving from his hiding
place just as she had told him when she
sound different from anything he had
ever heard before. Some large animal
was hunting around the bushes, and he
heard it say: THAT doe just got sure
l
can find him I'll take him home for
my boys"
Bucky did not understand the words,
but he heard the man talking and call
ing to another man, and all the while
the talker was coming nearer to the
clump of laurel under which the poor
little fellow was hiding. Pretty soon his
trembling heart almost stood still as ne
heard the man call, Here he isl" and
he saw the cruel creature that had killed
his mother peering at him through the
bushes.
command not to move from the spot did
not apply then; the little curled-up
spotted brown ball Strengthened up INTO
a thoroughly frightened little deer, ana
how his springy legs did take him fly
ing up over the rocks and through the
bushes away from the man!
He heard the men hunting for him
again, but he kept on running until ne
was so far up on the mOunta1nS1de that
they could not find him. There he re-
NAMED all night, hungry and cold, not
daring to move from the bushes where
he was hidden.
to the spot where his mother left him
and waited there, hoping that she would
come back. for he did not know that she
was dead. Along in the afternoon ne
saw the same man that had 80 fright
ened him the day before, and away ne
fed up over the mountain again
That night he was colder and hungr1er
than ever. IN the I1OTIitlS A4C saw al
other mother deer with her fawn, and
he went up to them hoping that ne
might get something to eat, put tne
mother struck him with her sharp hools
and would not ever let her baby play
with him. ,,.4.
That day his legs were more wabbly
than when he first tried to use tneIn-
He was so weak from munger LhAt ne
co111d scarcely stand In his desperation
he picked and cheWed some leaves as ne
had seen his mother do. He was 50
hungry they tasted good. he ate more
Of them and when he curled up undef
a bush that night he felt much better
The next day he ate more leaves ana the
soft green ends of twigs. He ala not
know why. but he did not eat the leaves
of laurel and other poisonous pushes
only using them to hide under.
Since he found that soft green Things
would satisfy his hunger; even II tI I
were not as good as milk, ne one DAY
tried some bunch grass. But ne Ola not
like that so well, and decided TO Slch
to leaves and twigs. 50 he learned ny
experience what his mother would nave
faI7eht him had she lived-that deer eat
grass only when they can get no otner
kind of food always preferrlng 10
browse on leaves and twigs-
RucIxy soon found that he had many
enemies to watch for and that his nose
and ears were his most efficient organs
for warning him of their approach
When he slept, he accordingly lay Win
his nose and ears pointed IN the olrec-
ton from which the wind blew
One day he awoke just in time TO see
a coyote sneaking up behind TO graD
him 1t was all his nimble legs could 90
TO escape from his swift pursuer. From
that he learned another lesson, ana
thereafter when he slept he lay with his
nose Dointing quartering to the wind to
warn him of the approach of an enemy
from that point while at the same time
he could turn his ears to catch the
sound of anything coming from the 9TH
He also ACQUIRED the habit of always
being on the watch during his waking
hours and of walking or running care
fully, so as to make as little morse as
possible. Unless pursued he always
stopped every few steps to look and
listen
When winter came he sought the
south slope of one of theg ulches that led
up from the Teton canon, where there
was plenty of evergreens and other
bushes on which to browse. Several
other deer planned to winter on the
same slope, and when the leaves and
branches within reach became scarce |
they frequently drove him away ami
prevented his eating until he was almost /
as hungry as on the days that succeeded |
the death of his mother. The full grown |
deer could reach leaves and branches /
much higher than he so that they did
not fare so badly. He frequently had to
gnaw bark or even dig In the frozen |
ground with his sharp hoofs for roots |
to appease his hunger.
When a crust formed on the deep |
snow ne SucceeueO III getting " dHOtASi
exposed slope, where he Jared better; |
but when spring came and with the 9TH |
er deer he went into the valley, where |
the first signs of green life were to be |
found, he was poor and hungry enough. !
Soon after the snow was gone from |
the valley, but while it was still in the /
mountains, he followed down the Teton |
creek one night far beyond the canon, |
into Teton basin. There he found will |
lows and other shrubs which furnished |
him good feeding. He followed along |
the creek for several days without !
knowing the danger to which he was ex-
posed from near by ranchers and their /
dogs for he was all the time well hidden I