Having rested themselves and eaten as much of the provisions as they deemed advisable, they went on their way once more. The timber now became thicker, and at certain points the undergrowth looked much greener than it had further back.
“Just the spot for deer to come,” said Joe.
“Yes, and there are the signs,” answered Harry, somewhat excitedly, and pointed to a number of bushes that had been stripped of the tenderest of their bark.
Back of the bushes the hoofprints of at least three deer were plainly to be seen. How old the trail was there was no means of telling, but for the want of something better to do the two young pioneers agreed to follow the marks, at least for a mile should the traveling permit.
They now moved forward in utter silence, each with his gun in his hand and eyes on the alert in first one direction and then another. The trail was by no means a straight one, and this gave them encouragement.
“It shows that the deer took their time in moving along,” said Joe. “You can see where they stopped to nibble at every soft bush or tree that showed itself.”
Just ahead was a heavy belt of timber not over a hundred feet in width. Thinking that the game might be on the other side they advanced with greater caution than ever.
“I see one!” cried Harry softly.
“And I see another,” answered Joe.
They rushed forward and were almost on top of the deer before they were discovered by the animals. Then the deer tried to break away through the snow, but soon came to a halt, panting for breath.