for a fortnight, as it demanded more time and attention than they could
spare to it in the boat. Luka told him that several flights of black
duck had passed up the river while he had been at work at the boat, and
volunteered to grease the boat next day if Godfrey would try to get a
shot at them.

"It will be of no use my trying to shoot them on the river," Godfrey
said, "as I should have no means of picking them up; and I can tell you
I found the water too cold this morning to care about stripping and
swimming out for them. I will have another try on the plain. I saw four
or five deer to-day, but only the first passed within shot, and as I had
not a bullet in the gun he got off without my firing at him. I will try
to-morrow if I can't stalk one."

Accordingly the next day Godfrey set out. After an hour's walking he saw
three deer. He worked round very cautiously so as to get a clump of
bushes between him and them, and then crawled up to it and looked
through. They were a hundred and fifty yards away, and he had no
confidence in his gun at that distance. He stood for some time thinking,
and then remembered he had read that on the American plains the deer
were often decoyed into coming close up to the hunter by working upon
their curiosity. He drew his ramrod out from his gun, put the cap he
wore--which was the fur one with tails--on to the end of it, pushed this
through the bushes, and began to wave it to and fro. The deer caught
sight of it immediately, and stood staring at it for a minute or two,
ready to bound away should the strange object seem to threaten danger.
As nothing came of it, they began to move towards it slowly and with
hesitation, until they gathered in a group at a distance of not more
than fifty yards.

Godfrey, while waving the cap with one hand, was holding his gun in
readiness with the other. Feeling sure that he could not miss the mark
now, he gently lowered the cap and raised his gun to his shoulder.
Slight as was the movement it startled the deer; but as they turned to
fly he fired both barrels at the shoulder of the one nearest to him, and
had the satisfaction of seeing it fall, while its companions dashed away
over the plain. He ran up to the fallen animal and found that it was
already dead, both bullets having struck it in the region of the heart.
He proceeded to cut off the head and the lower part of the legs, opened
and cleaned it, and was then able to lift it on to his shoulder. As he
ne