the
wild things; but at noon, as I sat eating my lunch, I heard a rapid
running, crunch, crunch, crunch, on the ridge above me. I stole up,
quietly as I could, to find the fresh trails of my three deer. They
were running from fright evidently, and were very tired, as the short
irregular jumps showed. Once, where the two leaders cleared a fallen
log, the third deer had fallen heavily; and all three trails showed
blood stains where the crust had cut into their legs.

I waited there on the trail to see what was following--to give right of
way to any hunter, but with a good stout stick handy, for dealing with
dogs, which sometimes ran wild in the woods and harried the deer. For
a long quarter-hour the woods were all still; then the jays, which had
come whistling up on the trail, flew back screaming and scolding, and
a huge yellow mongrel, showing hound's blood in his ears and nose, came
slipping, limping, whining over the crust. I waited behind a tree till
he was up with me, when I jumped out and caught him a resounding thump
on the ribs. As he ran yelping away I fired my rifle over his head, and
sent the good club with a vengeance to knock his heels from under him. A
fresh outburst of howls inspired me with hope. Perhaps he would remember
now to let deer alone for the winter.

Above the noise of canine lamentation I caught the faint click of
snowshoes, and hid again to catch the cur's owner at his contemptible
work. But the sound stopped far back on the trail at the sudden uproar.

Through the trees I caught glimpses of a fur cap and a long gun and the
hawk face of Old Wally, peeking, listening, creeping on the trail, and
stepping gingerly at last down the valley, ashamed or afraid of being
caught at his unlawful hunting. "An ill wind, but it blows me good," I
thought, as I took up the trail of the deer, half ashamed myself to take
advantage of them when tired by the dog's chasing.

There was no need of commiseration, however; now that the dog was out
of the way they could take care of themselves very well. I found them
resting only a short distance ahead; but when I attempted to stalk them
from leeward the noise of my approach on the crust sent them off with a
rush before I caught even a glimpse of them in their thicket.

I gave up caution then and there. I was fresh and the deer were
tired,--why not run them down and get a fair shot before the sun went
down and left the woods too dark to see a rifle sight? I had hea