Birds -- United States; Natural history -- Outdoor books
But what are those two luminous spots? Need the reader to be told what
they were? In a moment the head of a real deer became outlined; then
his neck and foreshoulders; then his whole body. There he stood, up to
his knees in the water, gazing fixedly at us, apparently arrested in
the movement of putting his head down for a lily-pad, and evidently
thinking it was some new-fangled moon sporting about there. "Let him
have it," said my prompter,--and the crash came. There was a scuffle
in the water, and a plunge in the woods. "He's gone," said I. "Wait a
moment," said the guide, "and I will show you." Rapidly running the
canoe ashore, we sprang out, and holding the jack aloft, explored the
vicinity by its light. There, over the logs and brush, I caught the
glimmer of those luminous spots again. But, poor thing! There was
little need of the second shot, which was the unkindest cut of all,
for the deer had already fallen to the ground, and was fast expiring.
The success was but a very indifferent one, after all, as the victim
turned out to be only an old doe, upon whom maternal cares had
evidently worn heavily during the summer.
* * * * *
This mode of taking deer is very novel and strange. The animal is
evidently fascinated or bewildered. It does not appear to be
frightened, but as if overwhelmed with amazement, or under the
influence of some spell. It is not sufficiently master of the
situation to be sensible to fear, or to think of escape by flight; and
the experiment, to be successful, must be done quickly, before the
first feeling of bewilderment passes.
Witnessing the spectacle from the shore, I can conceive of nothing
more sudden or astounding. You see no movement and hear no noise, but
the light grows upon you, and stares and stares like a huge eye from
the infernal regions.
According to the guide, when a deer has been played upon in this
manner and escaped, he is not to be fooled a second time. Mounting the
shore, he gives a long signal snort, which alarms every animal within
hearing, and dashes away.
* * * * *
The sequel to the deer-shooting was a little sharp practice with a
revolver upon a rabbit, or properly a hare, which was so taken with
the spectacle of the camp-fire, and the sleeping figures lying about,
that it ventured quite up in our midst; but while testing the quality
of some condensed milk that sat uncovered at the foot of a large tree,
poor Lepus had his spine injured by a bullet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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