“You blunderhead!” called Bob Budd, forgetting his own in his anger, “you’ve killed Hero. I hope the will you to death.”  
The animal seemed to be on the point of doing so, for he stood with head raised, his brown sides rising and falling like a pair of from his severe , looking at the young man that had fired the shot which ended the hunting career of Hero, as if debating with himself how best to end his hunting career.
 
It would be putting it mildly to say that Jim McGovern was dumbfounded. He was transfixed for an instant, and then, awaking to his own peril, he whirled about, threw down his gun, and dashed for the tree behind which he was a minute before.
 
Throwing both arms and legs around the trunk, as though it were a long lost brother, he began climbing fast and furiously.
 
It may be wondered whether a faint of the truth did not force itself through the brain of the buck that had had such a strange experience.
 
Can it be that he felt that the lad who had fired the last shot had in some way done him an inestimable service in removing the hound from his path?
 
Probably such a conception is beyond the reach of a wild animal, but, be that as it may, the buck, after staring a moment at the flying figure, turned and looked at Tom Wagstaff perched in the tree, and then gazed down at Bob Budd, who was doing his utmost to shrink into a smaller space than ever beneath the sloping trunk of the oak. Then, as if disgusted with the whole party, he turned about and off in the woods, showing no further concern for those with whom he had had such a lively .
 
The wounds given by Bob Budd a short time before were so that, though they roused the animal’s rage, they could not have caused him any inconvenience or suffering.
 
Finally, when it was apparent that the buck had departed for good, Tom Wagstaff from his in the tree, Jim McGovern slid down to the ground, Bob Budd backed out from beneath the oak, and each one recovering his gun, they came together in the open space where the dead Hero lay.
 
It was a characteristic meeting. Bob was maddened over the loss of his hound, while he and all three felt an unspeakable relief in knowing that the terrible buck had without them.
 
“Of all shooting that I ever heard of, that is the worst,” said Bob, with a of disgust, pointing at the carcass of Hero.
 
“It was better than yours,” retorted Jim, “for it killed something, while yours didn’t hurt anything.”
 
“I hit the buck, any way,” said Bob, .
 
“The buck didn’t act as though he knew it,” was the comment of Tom Wagstaff.
 
“I don’t see that you have any chance to talk,” retorted Bob; “for you fired both barrels at him and then yelled for us to come and save you.”
 
“But you didn’t come, and I had to run out here to help you.”
 
“Yes; and the minute you caught sight of the buck you took to a tree.”
 
“I was only doing what you had done a minute before,” said Tom; “only I had better sense than to try to crawl under a tree.”
 
“Because you hadn’t any to crawl under, that’s the only reason.”
 
“There aint any of us in shape to find fault with the others, for we have all made an exhibition that it’s lucky nobody else saw.”
 
“It seems to me,” said Bob, “that we don’t amount to much as hunters; what do you suppose has become of that buck?”
 
“He isn’t far off, but I don’t believe it will do to hunt him.”
 
“Why not?”
 
“There is too much danger of finding him,” was the significant reply of Bob.
 
The point of this remark was so apparent to all that they smiled and agreed that the best thing they could do was to return to camp. They naturally felt after their lively experience with the animal, of whose pluck they had gained a better knowledge than ever before.
 
“Suppose there had been two of them,” remarked Tom, leading the way down the mountain path.
 
“Then there wouldn’t have been any of us,” replied Jim, who was walking next to him, Bob Budd bringing up the rear.
 
“I don’t believe there’s half so much fun in hunting as a good many people fancy,” was the observation of young Wagstaff, who found it so much easier to walk down than up the path, that he felt inclined to discuss their recent experience.
 
&l............