Takahashi slammed the mustang one parting blow, which broke the club, and then he turned to us.  We could see from dust and dirt on his person that he had lately been in close relation to the earth.  Takahashi’s face was pale except for a great red lump on his jaw.  The Jap was terribly angry.  He seemed hurt, too.  With a shaking hand he pointed to the bruise on his jaw.

“Look what he do!” exclaimed Takahashi.  “He throw me off!...  He kick me awful hard!  I kill him sure next time.”

Lee and I managed to conceal our mirth until our irate cook had gotten out of hearing.  “Look—­what—­he—­do!” choked Lee, imitating Takahashi.  Then Lee broke out and roared.  I had to join him.  I laughed till I cried.  My family and friends severely criticise this primitive trait of mine, but I can not help it.  Later I went to Takahashi and asked to examine his jaw, fearing it might have been broken.  This fear of mine, however, was unfounded.  Moreover the Jap had recovered from his pain and anger.  “More better now,” he said, with a grin.  “Maybe my fault anyhow.”

Next day we rested, and the following morning was so fine and clear and frosty that we decided to go hunting.  We rode east on the way to See Lake through beautiful deep forest.

I saw a deer trotting away into the woods.  I jumped off, jerked out my gun, and ran hard, hoping to see him in an opening.  Lo!  I jumped a herd of six more deer, some of them bucks.  They plunged everywhere.  I tried frantically to get my sights on one.  All I could aim at was bobbing ears.  I shot twice, and of course missed.  R.C. shot four times, once at a running buck, and three at a small deer that he said was flying!

Here Copple and Haught caught up with us.  We went on, and turned off the road on the blazed trail to See Lake.  It was pretty open forest, oaks and scattered pines, and a few spruce.  The first park we came to was a flat grassy open, with places where deer licked the bare earth.  Copple left several pounds of salt in these spots.  R.C. and I went up to the upper end where he had seen deer before.  No deer this day!  But saw three turkeys, one an old gobbler.  We lost sight of them.

Then Copple and R.C. went one way and Haught and I another.  We went clear to the rim, and then circled around, and eventually met R.C. and Copple.  Together we started to return.  Going down a little draw we found water, and R.C. saw where a rock had been splashed with water and was still wet.  Then I saw a turkey track upon this rock.  We slipped up the slope, with me in the lead.  As I came out on top, I saw five big gobblers feeding.  Strange how these game birds thrilled me!  One saw me and started to run.  Like a streak!  Another edged away into pines.  Then I espied one with his head and neck behind a tree and he was scratching away in the pine needles.  I could not see much of him, but that little was not running, so I drew down upon him, tried to aim fine, and fired.  He leaped up with a roar of wings, sending the dust and needles flying.  Then he dropped back, and like a flash darted into a thicket.