The buck, unable to rid himself of his unwelcome rider, began to twist and turn his lithe body in an effort to throw him off. Then what the guide had dreaded happened. The buck dove beneath the water and took George with it!
Ed gave a startled cry when he saw his friend disappear from sight beneath the surface, and poor Ben groaned audibly. In breathless silence they watched for what seemed an eternity for the buck and its rider to reappear.
When the deer plunged under the water George instinctively held his breath and shut his eyes, as he was accustomed to do when ducked in the school swimming-tank by mischievous school-mates. He went much deeper this time, however, and the water went up his nostrils and roared in his ears. He gripped the frenzied animal beneath him more tightly. He could hear it gasping and choking down there under the water, and it seemed as though he, too, must soon open his mouth and free his bursting lungs. He could hold his breath but a moment longer. Then, just as he gave an involuntary gasp for air, his head shot above the water, and, coughing and snorting, the buck once more swam rapidly toward the land.
Ed and Ben, who had reached shallow water, yelled with delight when they saw their comrade reappear far out on the lake. George was too full of water to reply to their shouts and cheers. It was all he could do to keep his hold on that slippery wet back.
The buck seemed to realize that it could not lose its rider in deep water, and it swam strongly and steadily for the shore, now but a short distance away. From the heaving of its sides and its short, rasping gasps, George knew it was fairly well spent. As for himself, he had regained his wind and some of his confidence, and he determined to hold on until he reached land.
At last the deer found footing and jumped forward into water to its knees. Then it began a series of bounds and bucks which sent George soaring through space to land on his back in a foot or more of water. For a moment the buck stood looking at him, and he feared it was going to charge. But, to his relief, it uttered a loud snort and dashed up the bank and disappeared in the forest. Despite his wild ride, George was unhurt; and, scrambling to his feet, he waded ashore and sat down.
Ed and the guide, having turned the water out of the canoe, paddled across the lake to get him.
“Well, you certainly had a ride and a half,” laughed Ben, when they were within speaking distance. “You’re not hurt any, are you?”
“No, indeed,” George assured them, rising. “Say, Ed, it’s your turn next.”
But Ed’s answer was, “Not for mine!”