en did not drop.
Staggering for a brief moment, he turned and then fled in the direction
from which he had come.

Earl was amazed, but, determined not to lose his game after such a shot,
he hastily reloaded and made after the game. Less than two score of
steps brought him almost to the end of the cliff, and he discovered the
deer crouched in the shelter of the rocks, its dark eyes glaring
angrily. Up came his gun, and the weapon was discharged just as the
animal sprang forward. The shot was a glancing one, doing little harm,
and the next instant the wounded beast was upon the boy.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.

For a brief instant, as the deer rushed upon him, Earl was fairly
paralyzed, having had no idea that the wounded animal might attack him.
But as those glaring eyes came closer and the antlers were lowered, he
realized that something must be done, and leaped to the inner side of
the narrow cliff.

Crash! the deer had struck him on the arm. It was a heavy blow, and only
the sharp rock to one side of him saved the youth from serious injury.
Then, as the animal bounded back for a second attack, Earl shoved out
the gun, pressed it at the deer's breast, and sent the beast tumbling
from the cliff into the gulch below. It was done so rapidly that the
animal had no time to save itself. It went down with a crash and a dull
thud, and, looking over the rocks, the boy saw that it lay on its back
unable to run off on account of a broken leg. As soon as he could, he
reloaded the shot-gun and put his game out of its misery.

"That was a narrow escape, and no fooling!" he half muttered, as he
looked about for some place where he might descend to the bottom of the
gulch. A quarter of an hour later he had the deer bound on top of a tree
branch, and was dragging it toward the lake shore.

"A deer!" cried Randy and Foster Portney, simultaneously, as they caught
sight of the prize. "Well, that was well worth going after!" continued
the latter.

"You had a narrow escape!" exclaimed Randy, when Earl's story was told.
"If you hadn't shoved him over, he would have gored you to death."

It was quite dark by the time they went into camp. The deer was soon cut
up, and they dined that evening on the choicest of venison steak. The
remainder of the meat was hung up to dry, while a portion of it was
thoroughly salted.

In addition to the fire in the camp stove, a big blaze was lit on the
shore, that Dr. Barw