s he
clearly in view than the buck charged. Telling of it at the cabin that
night Upton declared that in that fleeting instant it seemed to him that
he was staring at a whole forest of horns pointed straight for him.

Intuition is subconscious direction without the aid of conscious thought
and is usually the result of wisely directed thinking in the past. As a
Scout Upton had tried to train himself to meet emergencies, to be
prepared, and it was the result of this training that governed him now.
Dropping his snow-shoes he leaped aside. Fortunately the snow had been
trampled down for a sufficient space at this point to allow of this. As
it was the buck swept past so close as to almost graze his clothing.

Indeed so narrow had been the margin that the shoes, released as he
jumped, fell directly in front of the infuriated animal and the brow
antlers pierced the meshes of one of them. It was this lucky
circumstance which was Upton's salvation. For a few minutes the buck's
attention was wholly engaged with this new adversary which banged
against his nose, obscured his vision and clung to him in such
inexplicable fashion. He tried to back away from it, but in vain. Then
he plunged forward and sought to grind it into the snow, with the result
that he only fixed it more firmly on his antlers. In vain he struck at
it with his feet. The dangling tail offered nothing on which to get a
purchase. Fear now began to replace rage. Here was an enemy that would
neither fight nor run away. Nor could he in turn run away from it.

Meanwhile Walter had made the most of his opportunity. But a few feet
distant was a young hemlock tree. Floundering through the snow he
reached this and scrambled up. It was a small tree, and his perch was
none too secure, and anything but comfortable for an extended stay. But
it meant safety for the time being, and just then this was everything.
With a sigh of thankfulness he turned his attention to the scene below,
and his sense of humor for the moment overcame everything else. The buck
was plainly being worsted in his battle with the snow-shoe, and was
working himself into a panic. His great eyes were wide with fright as
he backed and plunged and vainly reared in an effort to strike with his
forefeet. With every toss of his head the tail of the shoe rapped him
sharply across his nose, adding injury to insult. It was so funny that
Walter fairly shouted with laughter, and the sound of his voice added to
the ter