“Oh, I hain’t got time now, but some other time—­Let’s find Sam.”

So they foregathered at the tree, and laden with their spoils, they returned gloriously to camp.

V

The Deer Hunt

That evening they had a feast and turned in to sleep at the usual hour.  The night passed without special alarm.  Once about daylight Sappy called them, saying he believed there was a Bear outside, but he had a trick of grinding his teeth in his sleep, and the other boys told him that was the Bear he heard.

Yan went around to the mud albums and got some things he could not make out and a new mark that gave him a sensation.  He drew it carefully.  It was evidently the print of a small sharp hoof.  This was what he had hungered for so long.  He shouted, “Sam—­Sam—­Sapwood, come here; here’s a Deer track.”

The boys shouted back, “Ah, what you givin’ us now!” “Call off your Dog!” and so forth.

But Yan persisted.  The boys were so sure it was a trick that they would not go for some time, then the sun had risen high, shining straight down on the track instead of across, so it became very dim.  Soon the winds, the birds and the boys themselves helped to wipe it out.  But Yan had his drawing, and persisted in spite of the teasing that it was true.

At length Guy said aside to Sam:  “Seems to me a feller that hunts tracks so terrible serious ought to see the critter some time.  ‘Tain’t right to let him go on sufferin’. I think he ought to see that Deer.  We ought to help him.”  Here he winked a volley or two and made signs for Sam to take Yan away.

This was easily done.

“Let’s see if your Deer went out by the lower mud album.”  So they walked down that way, while Guy got an old piece of sacking, stuffed it with grass, and, hastily tying it in the form of a Deer’s head, stuck it on a stick.  He put in two flat pieces of wood for ears, took charcoal and made two black spots for eyes and one for a nose, then around each he drew a ring of blue clay from the bed of the brook.  This soon dried and became white.  Guy now set up this head in the bushes, and when all was ready he ran swiftly and silently through the wood to find Sam and Yan.  He beckoned vigorously and called under his voice:  “Sam—­Yan—­a Deer!  Here’s that there Deer that made them tracks, I believe.”

Guy would have failed to convince Yan if Sam had not looked so much interested.  They ran back to the teepee, got their bows and arrows, then, guided by Guy, who, however, kept back, they crawled to where he had seen the Deer.

“There—­there, now, ain’t he a Deer?  There—­see him move!”

Yan’s first feeling was a most exquisite thrill of pleasure.  It was like the uplift of joy he had had the time he got his book, but was stronger.  The savage impulse to kill came quickly, and his bow was in his hand, but he hesitated.