nes entirely.

It might have amused Jerry to see the way in which Bluff crawled closer
and closer to the expected quarry. No doubt he did make some ridiculous
efforts, which were not at all according to the usual rules of the game.
However, as Bluff would say, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating
of it, and he certainly did manage to creep up quite close to the
feeding elk.

Thinking he was now near enough, and that the animal was beginning to
act uneasily, Bluff stretched himself out, balanced his gun on a stone,
took a long aim, and then pulled the trigger.

The elk certainly dropped, at which the young hunter gave a bellow of
delight. That was where he made a foolish blunder, for believing that
his bullet had done for the game, Bluff started recklessly forward, bent
on bleeding the same, and only regretting the fact that he could not
initiate his precious new blade.

To his astonishment, the wounded elk scrambled to its feet, and instead
of bounding away it shook its antlers in an angry fashion and started
straight toward the young hunter!

CHAPTER XI

THE ELK AND THE YOUNG HUNTER

"Hey! Hold on, there! That isn't in the game!"

The elk did not seem to care whether it were so or not, but came rushing
straight on. Like many another, more experienced in the ways of the
woods than himself, Bluff almost forgot that he had other charges in his
gun. He was so amazed to see the animal he had fully believed to be dead
show such surprising signs of life, that he stood there for a few
precious seconds, gaping as if in a dream.

Then he made a wild spring to one side and gained the shelter of a tree.

"Oh! What a socker!" he exclaimed, as the enraged and bleeding animal
came full tilt against the trunk of the tree.

Before he could say more, or try to form any plan of action, he found
himself obliged to spin around that same trunk with all the rapidity he
could command, for the elk was apparently determined to overtake him,
and those towering antlers seemed pointed with spikes, in the eyes of
the startled lad as he strained every effort to keep beyond their reach.

Bluff was really alarmed by this time. He knew that any unfortunate slip
on his part would precipitate a tragedy.

"I laughed at Jerry and the wild dogs that chased him around and around,
but never again for me!" he gasped, as he kept up the weary circle,
hugging the trunk as closely as possible.

This, however, caused him to remember