ed with his tongue out, showing that he was suffering
as well as we were. No deer or other wild animals crossed our path.
The fog prevented us from seeing more than a few yards off, so that it
was possible we might pass close to water without discovering it. Had
either of us been alone, we should most likely have sunk down in
despair; but as it was, we encouraged each other, though we did not talk
much, for our tongues were too dry to speak.

We were almost in despair of finding water, when Tim stopped, and
whispered, "See there!" pointing on one side, where I could just make
out dimly through the fog the form of a deer crossing the grass. In
another instant it might disappear. We raised our rifles at the same
moment, and fired. As the smoke cleared away, we expected to see the
animal struggling on the ground, but it had vanished. We dashed
forward, in vain looking out for it. When we reached the spot where we
believed that it had been standing, we could discover no traces of blood
to show that it had been wounded. We must have been deceived by the
fog, for we could not suppose that we should otherwise both have missed.

Caesar rushed on, and we followed, hoping that he had got upon the trail
of the deer.

"There it is! there it is!" cried Tim, after we had gone a considerable
distance, and either the same deer or another rose before us, as
indistinctly seen as the first. We stopped to reload our rifles, then
cautiously crept forward. But the animal must have discovered us; for
scarcely had we raised our rifles to our shoulders and pulled the
triggers, than it vanished.

"I hit it, Tim; I'm sure I did!" I exclaimed.

But we were again doomed to disappointment; not a trace of the deer
could we perceive. I cannot describe our sensations. It made us feel
as if some phantom were mocking us. But it was by the fog alone we had
been deceived, and we had both probably fired too high. We resolved
that, should we see another deer, only one should fire at a time; and it
was agreed that I should fire first, and should I miss, Tim should dash
forward and try and get another shot before the animal had disappeared.
In our eagerness to get up to the deer, we had not sufficiently marked
the direction we had come, and we had to stop and consider how we should
direct our course. We both thought that we were right, and once more we
went on. We were now feeling hungry as well as thirsty, and I was very
faint; still, kn