ee," he thought. Aloud he warned Hal not
to come too near, but to wait until the others came up. While he felt
that the buck was so bedded in the snow as to be practically harmless he
wanted no chances taken.

A few minutes later Pat and Sparrer came up, panting with the exertion
of their long run, and the circumstances were briefly explained. Pat
took in the situation at a glance and his eyes danced with enjoyment,
and all three began to chaff Walter unmercifully. But there was little
time for this just then. The coming up of the others had further
alarmed the buck, who had recovered wind and strength to some degree,
and was now renewing his efforts to escape.

Pat ordered Hal to circle around and head off the animal, while he
himself came up from behind and endeavored to free the shoe. Sparrer was
to stand by in case of need and render any assistance he could. Upton
was to stay where he was. Indeed there was nothing else for him to do,
as once in the deep snow he would be more helpless than the deer. The
latter was still floundering forward and there were stains of red on the
crust where it had cut the slender legs.

As Hal appeared in front of him, whooping excitedly, the buck ceased his
struggling and stood shoulder deep in the snow, his sides heaving and
his steaming nostrils quivering as he labored for breath.

"Poor thing! He hasn't got another kick in him," Hal exclaimed, drawing
so near that he could reach out and touch the slender muzzle.

"Don't be too sure of that, me bye. Betther shtand back a bit," warned
Pat coming up from the animal's rear and leaning forward to get hold of
the shoe.

Hardly were the words out of his mouth when the buck flung his head up
and back. The tail of the shoe flew up, striking Hal a sharp blow on the
side of his head. Instinctively he jumped back, forgetting that he was
on snow-shoes. The result was immediate and decisive. With a wild yell
he pitched backward and disappeared in the snow. At the same instant Pat
grabbed the buck's horns, one with each hand, and straddling his back
called for Sparrer to free the shoe. This Sparrer succeeded in doing
after a few minutes' struggle and then turned his attention to Hal,
whose muffled cries of "Help! Take him away!" bore evidence to the fact
that he was under the impression that the buck had knocked him down and
was trying to trample him. In fact it was hard work to convince him that
this was not the case until with Sparrer's hel