covered. Indeed, we saw
Indian `sign' all along the route, and at one place came upon the head
and horns of a fine buck, which, from some fancy or other of the hunter,
had been left suspended from the branch of a tree, and had thus escaped
being stripped by the wolves.

"At sight of this trophy, my companion appeared to be in ecstasies. I
could not understand what there was in a worthless set of antlers to
produce such joyful emotions; but as Blue Dick--such was the
_soubriquet_ of my servant--was not much given to idle exhibitions of
feeling, I knew there must be something in it.

"`Now, master,' said he, addressing me, `if I had something else, I
could promise you a shot at the long-tails, shy as they are.'

"`Something else! What do you want?' I inquired.

"`Something that ought to grow about yar, else I'm mightily mistaken in
the sign. Let me try down yonder,'--and Dick pointed to a piece of low
swampy ground that lay to one side of our course.

"I assented, and followed him to the place.

"We had hardly reached the border of the wet ground, when an exclamation
from my companion told me that the `something' he wanted was in sight.

"`Yonder, master; the very weed: see yonder.'

"Dick pointed to a tall herbaceous plant that grew near the edge of the
swamp. Its stem was fully eight feet in height, with large lobed
leaves, and a wide-spreading umbel of pretty white flowers. I knew the
plant well. It was that which is known in some places as master-wort,
but more commonly by the name of cow parsnip. Its botanical name is
_Heracleum lanatum_. I knew that its roots possessed stimulant and
carminative properties; but that the plant had anything to do with
deer-hunting, I was ignorant.

"Dick, however, was better acquainted with its uses in that respect; and
his hunter-craft soon manifested itself.

"Drawing his knife from its sheath, he cut one of the joints from the
stem of the heracleum, about six inches in length. This he commenced
fashioning somewhat after the manner of a penny-trumpet.

"In a few minutes he had whittled it to the proper form and dimensions,
after which he put up his knife, and applying the pipe to his lips, blew
into it. The sound produced was so exactly like that which I had
already heard to proceed from the deer, that I was startled by the
resemblance.

"Not having followed his manoeuvres, I fancied for a moment that we had
got into close proximity with one of the long-tail