I said to Burr, "How am I to get that deer?" Burr said, "I
don't know; you haven't hit him yet." The deer stood for a minute
within good range and fully exposed. Luckily I had only an empty gun,
or otherwise I might have killed a deer for which we had no use--for
which there could have been no excuse. The whistle of the animal was
a note of exultation and a notice that he was unharmed. Had he been
wounded he would have run without waiting to explain his condition.
This was the only success in deer hunting by any of the party. Hoyt
went out several times, to return a disappointed man.
I spent the larger part of a night upon Louis Lake with a Canadian
Frenchman, of whom the rumor was, as I learned afterwards, that he was
a refugee charged with the murder of a woman. While one might not
choose such a person for a guide upon a forest lake and in the night
time, yet criminals of that sort are very often safer companions than
many reckless persons not yet guilty of any great crime. Murders
committed under the influence of passion do not lead to other murders
by the same parties. On the Sunday following we arrived at a small
lake where the camp was too limited for the accommodation of the
entire party and those who had remained proceeded to join their
companions. The day was rainy and when we reached our destination, we
found that one end of the camp had been destroyed by fire and that the
part standing furnished only inadequate room for the small party
already occupying it.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340