Year: 1860

And he left the wolves behind"


MAcAULAx.
Mike, what kind of night would this
De for fre-shooting ? said the Doctor to
that meditative Nimrod, who was busy
sewing up a moceasin by the light of the
campfire, after a week of travel.


So, so,' replied Nike without looking
up.


1 am going l think


No answer. Mike put on the mem
jed moccasin and drew off the other.
Do you think we can kill anything p
S'pose,' replied Mike.


Come Charlie, let US try it for lit
tie while


This was all a ruse on the part of
Poke, in order to make Mike think our
great hunt was an unprecedented affair
and thereby increase the glory of killing
so much game


1t had been arranged between us du-
ring the day that we would try fre-hunt-
ing that night. 1t promised to be a cloudy
night, which was of great advantage, as
II prevented the game from seeing any
thing of the hunters, and at the same
time rendered their eyes more reflective
when exposed to the torchlight. We
had even gone so far as to make our
pitch-pine torches, and the whole prepar-
alton was complete. 1t was to be a par
ty of two-the Doctor and myself
There would be more interest in getting
the game alone and beside that, Mikes
opinion on fre-shooting was well known
and we knew that he would not 60 with
as-so constant q hunter scorned sc
primitive a snare as the one we propos
ed. The negroes we did not want, fol
the fewer in the party the better. Sc
one of Us taking gun and the Other
carrying a torch we left the camp.


The boys were chuckling together al
they watched US 90, the dogs howled, be
cause they could not go with US, anc
Mike gave one of his expressive cough!
that said as plainly as words, Now fol
It,


We were soon outside the glare of tht
camp fire, the creek crossed, and ou
torches flashed brightly on the tape
trunks of the pine trees, the climbing
vines, and broard-leafed plants that grew
by the pools of water. There was n
wind, and walking in the pine woods
there was no sound. Once in lonI
while a sandhill crane, disturbed in hi
wanderings, would be seen stalking ava.
with his red head high in the air like
sentry on duty, or the sudden motion c
the underbrush would tell US that som
of the many little harlequins of the wooC
that gambol most when men do sleep, ha
fed from this unusual spectacle of moJ
ing light. But no deer rewarded GU
search; no bear showed Us his heav
coat.


Faith said the Doctor this roman
tic promenade of ours is getting soInt
what long.


Think of the deer, one buck viii we
pay u.s.


Fudge, if there was no one to laug
at us. would have turned back long az
Give.me the gun, and take the light


Accordingly we changed positions
l going ahead, carrying the torch b
fore me in such a manner that it wou
throw the light ahead as much as poss
ole and none on our persons, and Il
Doctor received the gun, and took Il
place directly behind and shaded by n
person. The night had become st
darker, and misty rain commenced ia
ing. We had left the pine woods aft
walking a couple of miles, and had cor
into a grove of lower timber. The lor
moss dropped in curtains the odor
magnolia burdened the air, and eve
minute a denser copse would force Us
turn aside from our route


Hush whispered the Doctor, sudde
Iy with a spasmOdic pull at my cOat-tai
There's a deer


I was just wondering at the absence
deer and could not account for II as
was a rare thing to go mile in Flor
without seeing one


where ? l whispered : don
IL.


Hush, il has gone now, but we v
see it again in a moment


We advanced on tip-toe, both IN bo
and in expection-


There There" said the Doct
pointing with bis finger little dissAi
TO the left, bat the luminous spot '
zone before hardly got my eyes upor


W. we're IN the very place tor df