so, he may come a bit nearer.
I guess this is where he comes every day to graze. Ah! I thought so"--
as the animal lowered his head and began to crop the rich grass.
"Crouch down and keep silent; with luck and patience we'll get him
before long."

It was weary work, to Dick at least, crouching behind that bush, for the
grass was long, and full of ticks, ants and other minute pests, which
lost no time in insinuating themselves between his clothes and his skin,
until the torment of his itching became almost unendurable. But Earle
was, or seemed to be, inured to such trifling discomforts, and
continued, motionless as a graven image, to kneel on one knee behind the
bush, intently watching through its interstices the movements of the
unsuspecting deer. And those movements were exasperatingly deliberate,
for the grass was rich, luscious and abundant, enabling the animal to
secure several mouthfuls before it became necessary for it to move by so
much as a step, while, further to tax the patience of the watchers, the
movements were vexatiously erratic, now here, now there, and as often as
not away from rather than toward the spot where the two men crouched
behind the screen of shrub.

At length Earle's patience began to show signs of giving out. He very
cautiously altered his position, changing from one knee to the other; a
little later he knelt upon both knees, and a little later he sat down.
Finally, finding this attitude unfavourable for shooting, he again got
upon one knee. By this time, however, the insect invaders of his person
were making their presence so distinctly felt that even his iron
self-control was beginning to succumb to their persistence, and at
length he murmured to Dick:

"Guess I'll have to risk a long shot, after all. At this rate it may be
hours before the beast will draw appreciably nearer, and meanwhile, at
any moment something may happen to scare him away." And very slowly and
carefully he proceeded to raise the rifle to his shoulder.

It was while he was doing this that the deer suddenly stopped feeding,
and, with his head still close to the ground, seemed gradually to
stiffen until his whole body became rigid.

"What's the matter now?" grumbled Earle, becoming rigid in his turn.
"Wonder whether he has scented us. But I guess not--at this distance.
There is no wind, and--Gee! that explains it." And he excitedly sprang
to his feet, his example being instantly followed by Dick.

What h