he said to himself,

"No rabbit can jump as far as he says that thing did. There are no
kangaroos here, and they have no horns. I give it up. Maybe he is
lying, but he doesn't look so."

Two Arrows was boasting quite truthfully, and the trouble was with
Sile's translation.

"Ugh! look. Rifle--"

Sile's eyes followed the pointing finger in vain for a moment. At first
he saw nothing but a clump of sumach bushes, but for once he asked no
questions. What could be among them? One seemed to move a little. Could
it be possible? the horns of a buck!

"Maybe I can hit him. I've heard of such a thing. I'll aim below them;
his body is there somewhere."

Two Arrows could have told him just how that deer was standing, but
Sile's guess-work was pretty good. He let his rifle-muzzle sink on a
line with one of those antlers, and had lowered it a little too much
when he pulled the trigger. The kicking of the rifle made the aim a good
one, for the sharp report was answered by a great bound from the cover
of the sumachs, and in an instant a mortally-wounded buck was dashing
across the open, with One-eye close at his heels.

"Ugh! got him," said Two Arrows. "Heap shoot. Bow not so good."

Sile had offered to lend him a rifle at starting, but Two Arrows had
prudently refused to disgrace himself. He had never owned one and did
not care to show his lack of skill.

That was a fine dash after One-eye and the wounded buck, but it was a
short one. The bullet had done its work so thoroughly that there was
little trouble left for the dog when he seized his victim's throat to
pull him down.

There had been some hunting done by the mining party on their long
journey, but Sile could have told Two Arrows if he had chosen to do so,
that here lay the first deer he had ever killed. He could also have told
him that it appeared to be the largest, fattest, finest, most miraculous
buck that anybody in the world had ever killed; as it really was even
Two Arrows spoke well of the buck and thought well of the shot which had
brought it down.

"If I knew where to find our train I'd take it right in," said Sile, as
they hoisted the buck to his own saddle. "I'd just as lief walk."

"Find him," said Two Arrows, understanding the searching look Sile gave
towards the mountains. "Go so. Come. Get on horse; ride."

He took the lead at once, but it seemed to Sile that he was going in the
wrong direction. He was not at all aware that his friend had skilfully