The San Francisco call., 1909-11-27
5!15 sTDR5 5ig5 oFl1APERSnEFAWN

his mother. but before they parted she
taught him one more lesson of protee-
ton against his foes. 1t was still warm
at midday. though in October, when
browsing at noon they came TO stony
ground on the edge of the white oak
and balSam.
KILLING OF THE SNAKE
Out on spot OF bare earth Capers
saw strange. wormlike thing eoiled
in a heap. As the deer drew near il
raised hideous head and there came
a queer, rattling sound
Instantly the doe was all alive with
excitement She Sprang into the open
with long leaps and. rising highest IN
the last, came down on the rattiesnaHe'
Just as she had struck the fox. all touf
hoofs together. She seemed barely 10
touch the earth before she was up ana
away in a longer leap, only to turn ana
repeat the attack until the hideous
reptile was cut to pieces Capers trled
it himself when his mother was satis-
field with her work.
The fawn that had been with him
that awful night by the lake was still
with them and he and Capers had be-
come quite chummy. They both played
killing snakes for time. They missed
the doe soon and did not find her.
Feeling rather lonesome. the two
young bachelors moved down the
they found the dangerous man scent
about the paths. 1t was dusk and they
were close to the river bank. Wnen
sharp barks arose from the other snore-
Pluneing through the trees. they saw
Gamers mother and close behind her
two great long fanged beasts in pur-
suit -,
She-plunged into the water and began
to swim. the dogs not a hundred yards
away when a shot was fired from the
hank sherhad left and her head dropped
into the water.
AS man slouched from the cover IN
which he had lain in wait whlle MS
hounds drove the unfortunate uoe "
her fate a second shot sounded from
the bank over which the frightened
lawns had stood. One of the hounds
t,,phled over dead. Another shot and
his fellow followed
Their owner turned. raising his rifle
only to find himself covered oy two
rifles in a canoe
..One move from you and youH go
after the other dogs" said man IN
the boat The man ashore dropped
h;s waapon and skunk back into the
hrush under volley of epithets and
promises to report his unlawful deed 10
the game wardens.
While most of this was going on tne
two voung bucks were speeding like
thenceforth trust to themselves. They
soon found themselves very unlmpor-
tant among their tribe, for all the older
bucks were rushing about with necKs
swollen. names bFistling and more than
ready to attack any young buck that
got in their way
Tt was the mating season, and tne
deer. so timid at other times. seemed
possessed of maniacal savageness anu
bravado Let a doe call and buck
would plunge through the woods
toward her, regardless of the crashing
noise of his advance. regardless Of man
and hostile to murder his rival Capers
and his chum got few drubblngs ana
more fright during this exciting period,
which was over early in December.
Then the deer began to gather in num-
bers as the snow kept the ground con-
stantly under a blanket. Capers mad
learned to eat beech nuts before this,
and now he learned to paw up the snow
to look for them The winter was
merely a memory of snow and storm
and hunting for food, which grew hard
err and harder to find
Spring came at last and Capers was
a full grown buck before it had given
place to midsummer. Then life for him
was all joy.