The Press., 1904-07-27
DANCE OF THE DEER
THE OLD DOES GRACEFUL ANTICS
WITH HER YOUNGSTERS.

GAarmfmg ana Unusual Spectacle
That Was Witnessed by a Hunter.
A Novel Circus I'm q Fairy Ring.
The Young Lord of the Woods.
The first time l saw him was In the
company of his mother and a sister,
whom he much resembled, says Hugh
d. Warrand in Blackwood's Magazine.
He was playing and nibbling along the
soft edge Of a little tarn. What a
dainty, nimble, unconccrned looking lit
tie person he was! ! sat hidden ON a
hillock about 200 yards distant watch.
ing the trio. His mother was very
large old doe, whom had known by
sight for several seasons, but this was
the only one in which she had been sue
cessful In rearing both her infants to
such an age of semi-independence.
M might have been a week later ere
] saw the old mother doe out again
with her family, when again I found
her feeding by the little tarn in the
hollow. She appeared totally unaware
Of my presence, and what she was
about could not imagine, for she
gtrolled backwar. and forward as a
man might who was making up his
mind about something.
Suddenly she sprang forward yard
or two into a round open space in the
heather, hitherto unnoticed by me, and
began running round and round. AS
II from out of the very earth and al
most at the same moment into the cir
Gle jumped Master Buck and his SIS
ter, and before had time to guess at
what was going to happen found my
self the solitary spectator of certainly
the most novel and graceful circus I
had ever seen or may ever hope to see
again.
Round went the old doe faster and
faster, her children after her. Then
she faced about, chasing the latter this
time. Again she turned and was fol-
lowed, and so the game went on. Pres
emily all three were out of the ring,
led by the doe, and bounding away
through the heather, over the ridge and
out of sight.
thought that had seen the last of
them for one day, but not so. Back l
beheld the performers coming at full
gallop, and this time they had another
performer with them. Last years
fawn had Joined the troupe. On they
all came without stop and into the
fairy ring, where l was treated to
another graceful performance, which
seemed rather more complicated than
the first. I wish l had studied it bet
ter, but I was SO surprised at the
whole thing and it was over SO quick
" that l really had not a fair chance
to grasp every detail.
In a few minutes the ring was emp
ty, the performers out of sight, and
left alone to wonder if what saw was
real or imaginary Real it certainly
was, for when my establishment had
worn off little got up and went for
ward to view the fairy circle, where
found abundant traces of my fairies.
and a few yards away found another
circle, which was evidently in use. and
farther on another, which appeared old
and disused. In one stood a tree, in
another two stumps of trees cut down.
the latter being the one most in use. to
judge by the state of the ground.
went home happy that evening, for
felt that l had been a witness to
spectacle few sportsmen have had an
opportunity of witnessing.
From the time when | first saw IN!
young lord of the woods playing in the
fairy ring with his mother and sister
saw him frequently each year and
usually about the same spot. He was
really a grand beast. The full deep
coronates, stout dark horns, rough as
ancient birch trees, with long curved
points above, formed head such as !
have never seen on any living buck
before 1t was head to dream of.
My brother, a friend who had never
seen a buck and l took walk one
Sunday afternoon to visit loch on the
hill which had lately been stocked with
trout. We lay for a long time in the
heather watching the fish rise, and
finding the hour, when we rose to 60,
was later than we had imagined, we
took a short cut back through the big
fir woods, which short cut led us
through my lords domain. Our friend
was particularly anxious to see good
buck, SO led the way first by a track
where happened to know a nice beast
that day he was invisible.
Proceeding homeward. we entered
little valley to the east of the part of
the wood that my lord was supposed
to have selected as his own and where
had not seen q roe that season. AS
we came out at the far end, there, ~.
ing down on the slope before us, was
my lord himself. He must have seen
as before we saw him, but had allowed
us to approach to within sixty or seven.
ty yards. We all three stood still gaz
ing at him in rapt astonishment, while
he gaZed inquiringly back at us with
look which said, "Is not the Sabbath
my own to rest?'' Then he rose, and
with two loud sharp banks disappeared
over the hill 4.5s#
have never seen him since
sought him many times, but hts pow
ers Of evasion were superior to mine
Of pursuit. At times I almost wonder
ed If he was not some uncanny phan-
tom, the ghost of a great buck of the
pleistocene age. But, no; it is he whom
knew from babyhood, grown now to
be q great lord of the forest, and a
master of woodcraft. Are not the
marks Of his horns on every sapling
within his domain? Everywhere there
is evidence of material body-and Of
mischief and temper. can only wish
that he may go scot free all his days.
His grace Is his own, his charm per.
haps that Of the fairies. Who has ever
shot a buck that he saw initiated in
the bewildering turns and doubling Of
the fairies ring7
No Love Lost Between the Arnoads.
John Denison Champlin told an anus
ing story Of Matthew Arnold and Sir
Edwin Arnold. "SOme years ago." he
said, when walking with Matthew
Arnold on the banks Of the little river
Test, near Romsey abbey, conversation
turned on Sir Edwin Arnold and The
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