Storm-Bound; or, A Vacation Among the Snow Drifts

id Elmer, "but no matter, I'm s

s to speak more or less bitterly, and complain that it must have been rank carelessness that would account for such

grined hunter began to aimlessly open his gun so as to t

where the deer was whe

second shot. Oh! he was as big as a barn to me, I tell you, and how I could ever miss him with the barrel that had the buckshot shell in it beats my time. I ought never to go out in the forest alone; I'm a fine duck o

nted marksman. Pushing forward he was now at the crossed logs. Immediately he

Artha, come here

gun shut, having succeeded in reloading the same,

Elmer?" he aske

pointed to

, and that, and that?"

hin face there crept a look, alm

r all! I'm glad, and then again I'm sorry. If he had to get away from us, I'd much rather not

ogs, and follow the plainly marked red trail over the otherwise spotless field of pure snow

Lil Artha became

se we're almost half starved, and haven't a ghost of a show at anything else. And if the poor thing does drop think how mean it

sy task, and even the tenderfoot scout of the troop might

ls, holding his breath with eagerness as he tried to look ahead so as to glimpse the welcome sight of the deer fallen a

you, Elmer," the other assured him, with visio

e other, quickly, "just at

had evidently just departed. Lil Artha could hardly contain himself. He insisted on shaking han

that I have really and truly shot a fine d

eer as plain as anything," Elmer assured him, not a little plea

ee it!" Lil Artha continued, "and Toby needn't be

to be cooked. The country is saved, Lil Artha, and you're the lucky one to be our Geor

the matter-of-fact scout remarked. "But, Elmer, ain't it queer that somehow the snow woods don't look qu

hed at hea

s hungry as he can be and yet live, the world looks different to him from what it does an hour later after some kind friend

eeling blue, and so I looked at everything through blue gla

g the game back to cam

ld weigh between a hundred-and-fifty and two hundred pounds; a pretty hefty load for two boys, wit

chers or hunters. "I have some good stout cord along, which we'll use to tie his forelegs together, and then the hind ones ditto. The pole w

length. Then the scout master made good use of his cord in order to secure the legs of the deer in such a way as to af

r in keeping on the track; and should twilight rapidly change i

en lying in some brush; but this was forgotten in the excitement of the hour. When glorious success rewar

es they staggered, and once both of them fell down. But the snow prevent

aster told his comrade as they got up and dug the snow out of their

I promise myself an additional chunk of deer meat for supper. Another thing

bright side of things, Li

p smiling when things are going wrong all around. But I've learned a lesson

g game like an elephant do?" asked Elmer, "but

o held up the other end of the pole that b

dians knew a good thing when they said musquash was

enty of chances to give that dish a try. But honest to goodness, it doesn't seem to strike me just as much as it did

tarvation, why stewed musquash sounded right good to us; but with a whole carcass

by now?" asked the tall scout with a

ay there, more or l

the riffle with this mo

ting more tired all the time. But since we've started it would be a shame t

il Artha, taking occasion to change his end o

rry heavy burdens this way. Coolies over in China know it. Horses running together pull easier if they happen to go in step. You've watched a pair trying to start, w

nd he never failed to try and impart some of the information he pic

rdly see our old tracks now!" an

ve out a yell," he was told, reassuringly, "but for my part I think we'

through the trees ahead just then

didn't want to say anything until you had a chance

ust got to buckle down to our load, for I'd be ashamed

tha renewed strength. In this manner, then, did they finally approach the camp under the pine

Toby standing up and looking this way as hard as he can. I thin

uld be fitted to his brow. And when the lucky hunter did give a shout no doubt there was en

on that bending pole that rested on their sore should

got his buck after all, did he? Well, well, well, if that doesn't beat anything I've heard this long while. And won't we have the grandest feast to-night ever heard of? Oh! say, I'm just trembling all over, I'm

rden. He was seen to bend down and feel of the animal, first about its antlered head, and then even down it

didn't have any foundation. But after I've proved my sight by my sense of feeling I can bel

happy because good fortune had come his way, to look meaningly at George, pok

ped by my lucky shot. But it's all right, George, and no reason for you to lie awake nights after this, worrying. You can keep on getting fatter and fatter, now,