rage. Yet in spite of his fury they quietly,
yet warily, watched him, and kept up their circular movements about him.
After a time, seeing it to be an utter impossibility to catch them, he
turned and endeavoured to swim to the shore.

Now the attacked became the aggressors, and so, rapidly, the canoe
followed in his wake. Several times they tried to draw up alongside to
spear him, but a sudden turn of that well-antlered head was enough to
cause them to draw back in a hurry. But something must be done, or he
would speedily be at the land. So another canoe was signalled to make a
feint to attack him from the other side. The one in which Frank was
paddling with his Indians soon came up, and when told what was desired
of them quickly responded.

The deer, thus worried by the two, had hardly a fair chance, but he
gallantly kept up the unequal struggle for quite a time. Sam's canoemen
at length saw an unguarded place and so dashed in alongside the big
fellow, and at the right minute the Indian steering called out to Sam:

"Now give it to him in the neck, close up to his head."

Sam, however, was not quick enough, and therefore his spear, which he
plunged with all the force he was capable of into the deer, while it did
not instantly kill, so cut down the side of the neck as to sever some
large veins. Unfortunately for Sam, he could not withdraw the spear
from the deer, and he was in no humour to lose it, so he hung on to it;
but before he knew where he was a great bound of the deer jerked him out
of the canoe. However, he fell fairly and squarely on the back of the
great deer, and he was not such a fool as not to avail himself of such
an opportunity for a ride. So speedily righting himself on this odd
steed, amid the laughter of Frank and the Indians, he was evidently in
for a good time.

It might have fared badly with him if the deer had been able to have
used his horns freely, or have moved with his usual speed in the water;
but the additional weight on his back so sank him down that he was
powerless to do harm. All he could do, after a few desperate efforts to
get rid of his burden, was to start for the shore, and so he speedily
continued swimming toward it as though this was his usual employment.

Sam hung on without much trouble, but as they neared the shore he began
to wonder what might happen next. But when his antlered steed reached
the shallow waters his strength gave way from the excessive loss of
bl