k. Tell the exact truth an' don't contradic' yourself,"
said Hunky.

"No, it wasn't," retorted the seaman stoutly. "It was arter the _first_
shot that you gave the yell. Hows'ever, I allow that the echoes kep' it
goin' till the six shots was off--an' I can tell you, messmates, that
the hallooin' an' flutterin' an' scurryin' an echoin' an' thought of
Redskins in my brain all mixed up wi' the blatterin' shots, caused such
a rumpus that I experienced considerable relief when the smoke cleared
away an' I see'd Hunky Ben in front o' me laughin' fit to bu'st his
sides."

"Well, to make a long yarn short, I joined Hunky and allowed him to
lead, seein' that he understands the navigation hereaway better than me.

"`Come along,' says he, `an' I'll let you have a chance at a deer.'

"`All right,' says I, an' away we went up one hill an' down another--for
all the world as if we was walkin' over a heavy Atlantic swell--till we
come to a sort o' pass among the rocks.

"`I'm goin' to leave you here to watch,' says he, `an' I'll go round by
the futt o' the gully an' drive the deer up. They'll pass quite close,
so you've only to--'

"Hunky stopped short as he was speakin' and flopped down as if he'd bin
shot-haulin' me along wi' him.

"`Keep quiet,' says he, in a low voice. `We're in luck, an' don't need
to drive. There's a deer comin' up at this very minute--a young one.
You'll take it. I won't fire unless you miss.'

"You may be sure I kep' quiet, messmates, arter that. I took just one
peep, an' there, sure enough, I saw a brown beast comin' up the pass.
So we kep' close as mice. There was a lot o' small bushes not ten yards
in front of us, which ended in a cut--a sort o' crack--in the hill-side,
a hundred yards or more from the place where we was crouchin'.

"`Now,' whispers Hunky to--"

"I never whisper!" remarked the scout.

"Well, well; he said, in a low v'ice to me, says he, `d'ye see that
openin' in the bushes?' `I do,' says I. `Well then,' says he, `it's
about ten yards off; be ready to commence firin' when it comes to that
openin'.' `I will,' says I. An', sure enough, when the brown critter
came for'id at a walk an' stopped sudden wi' a look o' surprise as if it
hadn't expected to see me, bang went my Winchester four times, like
winkin', an' up went the deer four times in the air, but niver a bit the
worse was he. Snap I went a fifth time; but there was no shot, an' I
gave a yell, for I knew the cart